Charles Barkley is finally speaking out on the NBA’s breakup with TNT … and it’s clear as day, he’s pissed over the split.
The former Phoenix Suns superstar unloaded on the Association in a statement on Friday morning … nearly two days after Adam Silver‘s league decided to move on from Turner Sports in favor of a new media rights deal with Amazon Prime Video.
Barkley — who’s been a part of TNT’s wildly popular “Inside the NBA” program for decades — called the league’s decision greedy … while accusing its officials of never really giving TNT a fair shake in the negotiation process.
“Clearly the NBA has wanted to break up with us from the beginning,” the Hall of Famer said. “I’m not sure TNT ever had a chance. TNT matched the money. But the league knows Amazon and these tech companies are the only ones willing to pay for the rights when they double in the future. The NBA didn’t want to piss them off.”
Barkley went on to thank everyone who has been with him and Turner Sports for the last 24 years. He also expressed gratitude toward NBA fans. He then concluded his statement by promising to “give you everything we have next season.”
On Wednesday … the NBA officially announced it’s going with Amazon, instead of TNT, to broadcast many of its games starting in the 2025 season. TNT officials, however, stated they believe they properly matched Amazon’s offer — and said the NBA should be contractually obligated to stay with them.
For now, though, it seems the NBA fully intends on moving on from TNT.
None of Barkley’s other Inside the NBA hosts — Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kenny “The Jet” Smith — have publicly commented on the situation as of yet.