Is Charles Barkley Leaving Inside the NBA Soon?

One of the main reasons I enjoy watching Inside the NBA or NBA Open Court is mainly due to Charles Barkley. The man is hilarious and it’s always fun to hear what the Hall-of-Fame forward has to say. However, according to Sports Illustrated, we may have to savor more of Barkley’s words as he could be leaving broadcasting for good soon. According to Barkley, he may leave the job before his contract ends up with Turner, as it isn’t much of a challenge to him. “I love my job,” Barkley said. “I love the people I work with. And I’m going to try to do things to keep me engaged. But I have four years left on my current deal and to be honest with you, it’s going to be a struggle for me to make it for the whole four years. I really don’t know how much longer I’m going to do this. I need something more, or something else to do to be honest with you.” Barkley also notices that he’s been doing this for too long now, in his opinion. “I only thought I would do this for three or four years but now I have been doing it for 13 years,” Barkley said. “When I got to my fifth year of broadcasting I was like ‘OK, I’ll do this a couple of more years.’ But now I’m like, ‘Dude, you have been doing this for 13 years and if I make it to the end of the contract it will be 17 years.’ Seventeen years is a long time. It’s a lifetime in broadcasting. I personally have to figure out the next challenge for me.” Barkley says he likes to be more of a part in game, calling the plays and being an analyst while it’s going on. Chuck says it re-engages him and Turner gave him the chance when he called January’s match-up between the Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks with Kevin Harlan and Reggie Miller. “When I did the game with Kevin and Reggie I had a blast,” Barkley said. “And judging by the feedback we got, I think the fans liked it too. I am excited to do that this year.” Barkley will be able to do some more of that in this year’s NBA season, calling the games for the the Heat and San Antonio Spurs on Nov. 29 and the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers in December. Barkley says he always wanted to call a game with ESPN’s Dick Vitale before he retires, but it didn’t seem like Turner would give him a shot. “They kind of just blew me off a little bit,” Barkley said. “But I don’t get my ego caught up with that. Dick does a great job with college basketball and we do a great job with the NBA. I just think it would be fun for Dick and I to do a game together.” However, Vitale is up for it. “Let’s get it done with Dan Shulman at the controls,” Vitale said. “Love the Round Mound of Rebound.” Personally, I really hope Barkley doesn’t leave, but I understand where he’s coming from. He’s getting older, it’s getting boring for him and it’s time to move on to new things. Gonna miss Chuck when he walks away from broadcasting, though. The post Is Charles Barkley Leaving Inside the NBA Soon? appeared first on FootBasket.