Charles Barkley left himself an out if TNT loses the NBA.
The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week that Comcast is mounting a $2.5 billion per year bid to try to poach NBA rights away from Warner Bros. Discovery’s TNT to air games on NBC and Peacock.
This naturally has led to the question as to what would happen with Barkley and the legendary “Inside the NBA” crew.
Barkley, 61, was asked in an interview with ESPN Cleveland if he had seen the report about NBC, and he revealed elements of his contract that have him in an advantageous position.
“Obviously we saw it. It’s a really big deal. I covered my ass to be honest with you,” Barkley said.
“I [spoke for] an article today with Andrew Marchand in the New York Times. I just signed a 10-year deal two years ago, but one of the things I did, I put an opt-out after a couple of years because I wanted to make sure I covered my ass when it comes to this situation if I wanted to go to Amazon …
“Because we thought it was going to be Apple, to be honest with you. So the one thing I did in my new contract … I sat down and said, ‘Wait a minute. If you guys lose the NBA, I want to make sure I can get out of here.’ I am actually in a really great position.”
The Post reported in 2022 that Barkley signed a 10-year deal with TNT worth “well in excess” of $100 million.
Given the way broadcasting salaries have escalated for top-tier difference makers like Barkley, he could command a pay raise should TNT lose the NBA and he becomes a free agent.
In the ESPN Cleveland interview, Barkley admitted that the NBC offer caught him by surprise.
“We knew it was going to be Amazon and Apple, but NBC came out of the woodwork,” Barkley said.
“I love TNT. They’ve been great to me. But I wanted to make sure if they lost the NBA I had all my i’s dotted and t’s crossed.”
ESPN appears to be in line to keep its NBA TV package, while The Athletic reported earlier this week that Amazon and the NBA have the “framework” of a deal ready to go.
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