Charles Barkley wants 1 notable figure to replace him on ‘Inside the NBA’

Charles Barkley already appears to have a desired successor.

The legendary Basketball Hall of Famer Barkley appeared this week on Westwood One Sports’ “BetMGM GameDay LIVE.” During the episode, Barkley spoke out on his impending retirement from “Inside the NBA.”

Notably, Barkley said that he wants one well-known figure to replace him — his fellow NBA alum Jalen Rose.

“Jalen Rose is fantastic,” said Barkley, per Awful Announcing. “He’s substituted for us sometimes, Jalen Rose is unbelievable … Jalen Rose, to me, would be the perfect guy because he’s done the most with us.”

Indeed, Rose, 53, has made a number of cameo appearances on “Inside the NBA,” usually to fill in for Barkley’s co-host Shaquille O’Neal. While the 13-year NBA veteran Rose was laid off in 2023 by ESPN, the network that now airs the Sports Emmy Award-winning program “Inside the NBA,” his guest appearances on the show have come after that much.

Meanwhile, Barkley, 63, recently made the claim that both he and Ernie Johnson will soon be retiring from “Inside the NBA.” While Barkley is still doing a bit of a will-he-or-won’t-he dance with retirement, it sounds like he wants Rose to ultimately fill his chair whenever that time finally comes.