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Charles Barkley offers profane criticism of NBA over fan experience

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Darryn Albert | Last updated Sep 3, 2025 9:26 AM ET

Charles Barkley is sounding off this week on the powers that be in the NBA.

The Basketball Hall of Famer Barkley appeared on the latest episode of “The Bill Simmons Podcast.” During the show, Barkley called out the NBA with a profane criticism of their new viewing model.

“I think the NBA’s got a big problem,” said Barkley. “How are regular fans going to [watch]? … Sometimes the game’s gonna be on Peacock. It’s not going to be on NBC. I think that’s a huge dilemma for the NBA.

“I think it’s a big deal,” Barkley added. “Because they just took all the money from all three networks. I don’t think they give a s--- about the fans. I think this is going to come back to bite them, to be honest with you … They don’t give a s--- about the fans. They’re like, ‘If y’all find the games, fine. Just make sure the check clears.'”

Here is the full clip of Barkley’s remarks (viewer discretion advised due to profanity).

Barkley’s comments come in the wake of the NBA’s new media rights deal, which runs for the next 11 years. ESPN has retained its rights to the NBA, but Amazon Prime (a first-timer) and NBC (an old-timer) will be broadcasting NBA games as well starting in the 2025-26 season. Those networks have their own streaming platforms separate from cable, so many fans (even those with a cable subscription) will be out of luck in terms of watching certain NBA games that are streaming-only. It also promises to be a real headache for fans in terms of being able to determine which game is being broadcast on which network (or which streaming platform) on which day.

The Basketball Hall of Famer Barkley is personally dealing with some major changes too when it comes to “Inside the NBA,” the popular TV program that he co-hosts. “Inside the NBA” is moving from its longtime home of TNT over to ESPN as part of the same new media rights deal, and Barkley has already expressed significant concerns about the move.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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