'People We Work For Screwed Us': Charles Barkley Livid At TNT Following ESPN Takeover

Charles Barkley didn’t mince words when asked about TNT’s loss to ESPN in the battle for NBA media rights. With Inside the NBA’s future uncertain and ESPN set to become the league’s primary broadcast partner, Barkley expressed both frustration and disappointment, especially with how things have unfolded behind the scenes.

While he, along with Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O’Neal, are all locked into long-term contracts, Barkley made it clear that their job security doesn’t erase the harsh reality for many others.

He pointed out that nearly 200 people, longtime colleagues and behind-the-scenes workers, could be out of jobs due to what he bluntly described as a failure on TNT’s part. During a conversation with Jimmy Traina last year, Chuck said, “That’s the part that really sucks. You know, it’s so crazy, because in the 24 years, that’s a long time. There’s people who have brought their kids in when they were newborn.”

Chuck is deeply affected by the uncertainty that now looms over the future of people who worked behind the scenes for Inside the NBA. The NBA legend recently made an appearance on 101 ESPN and talked about the ESPN takeover. When asked what the shift from TNT to ESPN is going to look like, Chuck gave a blunt answer.

“We really don’t know. People we worked for screwed us up and lost the NBA. So, we thought it was the end of the show, and ESPN came and said, ‘Hey, what if we take the show?’” Chuck said. Barkley has a few concerns before he steps into the new partnership with ESPN. His biggest concern is his work schedule.

At the age of 62, Chuck isn’t looking to work more than he used to and compromise on his personal and family time. “When you get older, you should work less. Anybody works more when they get older is an idiot,” he said. His concerns are valid. And over the last few decades, he has worked on his terms with TNT.

The details are still being hashed out, including how many days a week the Inside crew would work under a new setup. Still, he acknowledged the weight of the moment. Working with ESPN, the biggest sports network in the world, is an honor in itself. However, he is still not over the fact that TNT couldn’t outbid ESPN and the other networks.

Despite his long-standing partnership with TNT, he has been very critical of their moves over the last year. Chuck also sensed unprofessionalism at TNT because they didn’t even inform him when the show got transferred to ESPN.

“I learned from people at ESPN that we had been traded to ESPN. TNT did not even have the common courtesy that we were going to work for ESPN. How unprofessional is that?” he told Sports Illustrated. Chuck also expressed his frustration over the fact that Kenny and Shaq weren’t even included in the initial contract.