Charles Barkley Slams NBA for Taking Amazon Broadcast Deal — Claims TNT Matched Offer But League Chose ‘Money Over the Fans’
Charles Barkley on Friday criticized the NBA for opting for Amazon’s media rights deal despite TNT allegedly matching the offer.
The league announced the long-term deal Wednesday, stating that TNT did not match Amazon’s terms. As a result, the next media deal — effective after the 2024-25 season — will include Amazon, ESPN, and NBC, leaving TNT and its hit show *Inside the NBA* out of NBA coverage after next season.
Warner Bros. Discovery, TNT’s parent company, had the contractual right to match the offer. Both Barkley and WBD CEO David Zaslav have publicly asserted this multiple times. Now, the company has stated it plans to take “appropriate action” after the league rejected its matching offer, which could lead to legal action.
Previously, Barkley blamed TNT and WBD for the failed negotiations, but his statement on Friday shifted the frustration to the NBA for rejecting the offer.
“Clearly the NBA wanted to break up with us from the beginning,” Barkley said. “I’m not sure TNT ever had a chance. TNT matched the money, but the league knows Amazon and these tech companies are the only ones willing to pay for the rights when they double in the future. The NBA didn’t want to piss them off.
“It’s a sad day when owners and commissioners choose money over the fans. It just sucks.
“I just want to thank everyone who has been at Turner for the last 24 years. They are the best people and the most talented and they deserve better. I also want to thank the NBA and its fans — the best fans in sports. We’re going to give you everything we have next season.”
Barkley announced during the NBA Finals that next season would be his last in broadcasting. However, rival networks have floated the idea of convincing him out of retirement by hiring the entire *Inside the NBA* crew elsewhere.
