NBA Hall-of-Famer Charles Barkley To Remain With Turner Sports
While he was rumored to be negotiating a potential deal with LIV Golf, NBA Hall-of-Famer Charles Barkley has decided to stay with Turner Sports and remain one of the faces of TNT’s award winning “Inside The NBA.”
A fan-favorite across the NBA, Barkley has helped turn “Inside The NBA” into more than just a pre-game, halftime and post-game report show and alongside Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny “The Jet” Smith, he has helped change the way the media is involved with professional sports.
“I want to thank Greg Norman and LIV for their interest in me,” Barkley told The Post in a phone interview. “I wish those guys great success and nothing but the best. But, in my best interest, and being fair to Turner — because Turner and basketball have given me every single thing in my life. It is best for me to move on and I’m staying with Turner for the rest of my TV career.”
LIV Golf has been under heavy scrutiny in recent months due to the fact that they are backed by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund. Barkley stated that this was not a reason for his decision.
“My No. 1 priority is to be fair to Turner and my sponsors, to be honest with you,” Barkley went on to say. “I couldn’t just keep them holding on so I made up my mind (Thursday) night. I was like, ‘Make a decision and live with it.’”
While they have signed some major champions from the PGA Tour such as Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson, LIV Golf was unable to lure Charles Barkley away from Turner Sports. It will be interesting to see if they target other big name media members covering other professional sports in a studio-like setting.
Charles Barkley will return to "Inside The NBA" for the 2022-23 NBA season with Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal and Kenny Smith for their 12th season together.
