Why is Charles Barkley angry at TNT? (2024)

It’s been more than three decades since TNT secured the rights to broadcast NBA games, but by the looks of things that could soon come to an end, with the league now set to partner with Amazon, ESPN, and NBC going forward.

Charles Barkley is not happy with TNT

You’ve seen the reports regarding TNT and you also know who Charles Barkley is. Indeed, the former Philadelphia 76ers and Phoenix Suns star who is today a Hall of Famer turned analyst, has made a post-playing career out of giving frank takes on the game of basketball while working for the network. That’s precisely why it was no surprise to see Barkley give his two cents on the possibility of TNT losing its broadcasting rights. Appearing on the latest episode of SI Media With Jimmy Traina, Barkley not only spoke to the potential loss but also went on to address the lack of communication from senior execs at Warner Brothers Discovery, the parent company of TNT.

Truthfully, Barkley didn’t hold back as he stated openly that morale at TNT “sucked” before addressing WBD CO and President David Zaslv directly, criticizing his choice of words some months ago when he said that TNT didn’t need the NBA. “Number one, they’re not gonna call me,” said Barkley on the podcast. “They know better.” At that point, Barkley went to town. “Secondly, he never should’ve said that. Plain and simple. I think this is our third negotiation and we’ve always signed during the exclusive window. It’s never come up for bidding. Clearly [commissioner] Adam [Silver] is upset. I’m assuming he’s upset. Something is going on, to be honest with you, because if we have the right to match, it would be a simple–'yeah, we’re gonna match’ or ‘we’re not gonna match.’ That’s the thing that’s got us disturbed the most.”

Charles Barkley may have a point

While Barkley’s reasons for frustration may be subjective to some, we can all agree that nobody likes to be kept in the dark. His frustrations become somewhat more understandable when considering who the former NBA icon is and what he does for the network he now works for.

“They’ve done a really sh---y job of keeping us abreast,” said Barkley. “Just say, ‘hey, guys, we’re in the middle of negotiations. It’s 50-50.’ Just say something. We have not discussed it. And I don’t mean for me. The people who work there. They’re the ones on pins and needles. Just say something to let the people be able to breathe a little bit. I can’t imagine having a family and bills. Realistically, you probably gotta start looking for another job. You’re not gonna wait a year and get fired.”

It’s at that point that Barkley was asked about whether he has a relationship with Zaslav and his response was blunt. “None,” he said. “I met him twice. I saw him last week at the upfronts. He said hello and that was it. I thought he should’ve said something to when he has us there, to be honest with you, and he didn’t.” Interestingly, Barkley did admit that he did not make a move to question Zaslav. “There were crowds around so I didn’t want to make a scene,” Barkley said, “but I thought he should’ve said something.”

In addition to his frustration with the lack of communication, Barkley also expressed that he’s had enough questions about the future of ‘Inside the NBA.’ “None of this s--- means anything because we still got to work together for another year,” said Barkley. “‘Hey, would you guys go to Amazon? Would you guys go to NBC? Would you guys go to ESPN?’ I’m like, ‘dude, we got another year to be together.’ So worrying about something that’s a year-and-a-half away is stupid.” It’s worth noting that Barkley didn’t stop there either as he had much more to say on the topic. That said, it appears the former NBA tough-man has resigned himself to what’s coming.