Charles Barkley has been a mainstay on the television airwaves ever since he retired from the NBA in 2000. But now he is hinting at when he may ride off into the sunset altogether.
Barkley appeared this week on ESPN’s “The Paul Finebaum Show” (h/t NBA Reddit) and hinted at when he may bring down the curtains on his illustrious TV career.
“I made up this goal when I turn 60,” said Barkley. “I’m gonna get me a big ol’ fish bowl, put different countries in there, and spin it up. For one week a month, I’m gonna go to some place in the world that I’ve never been before. That’s always been a goal of mine. I can’t wait to try it. It’s just a game, but I wanna try it. I wanna see the whole world.
“I wanna be like John Madden,” added Barkley. “I thought John Madden was great at his job, but the one thing you don’t wanna do is stay on too long. I’m not comparing myself to John, I wanna make that clear. He’s the best to ever do it, and he left before his time was up. We all have to make this decision whether you’re a television announcer, radio announcer, or a jock … It’s better to leave early than late. You see some jocks out there, some guys on television like, ‘Are they wheeling him out there to do a broadcast?'”
The TNT “Inside the NBA” analyst Barkley is currently 58 and will turn 60 in February 2023. When he does decide to retire from television, there will be no replacing Barkley, who is truly one-of-a-kind with his unfiltered and often times savage commentary.
Barkley recently had funny comments on how he avoids cancel culture. But it turns out that he could soon be cancelling himself in effect in order to travel the world and enjoy a true retirement.
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