Charles Barkley already announced this will be his last year on Inside the NBA, but he might not get a farewell tour, because nobody believes he’s retiring.
Last month on The Bill Simmons Podcast, Barkley claimed this was going to be Ernie Johnson’s last season on Inside the NBA. And if it was going to be Johnson’s last season, Barkley said it will be his last season too, adding, “Me and Ernie are a package deal.”
Barkley then proceeded to double down on his looming retirement during an interview with Davis Baker of WSFA 12 News, again insisting this season with Inside the NBA is about to be his last.
“It’s been a great journey. I thank everybody for their support all these years, but I’ll be 64 years old. Ernie [Johnson] asked me to stay a couple more years. Last year was one, this year is two. But I feel really good. This is going to be more like a celebration, because, man, I’ve had the greatest life a person can have,” Barkley said.
If Charles Barkley putting an expiration date on his TV career sounds at all familiar to you, that’s because he’s been doing it for nearly a decade, but somehow, he keeps being lured back by money. And according to The Ringer’s Bryan Curtis, this latest retirement announcement is no different, telling Bill Simmons, “I think he’s coming back.”
Simmons asked Curtis to confirm whether he meant Barkley is “coming back” beyond the 2026-27 NBA season, to which the media insider said, “I think he’s back forever.”
Bill Simmons says it’s interesting seeing how ESPN treats Pat McAfee compared to Stephen A. Smith these days. You see McAfee cross-promoting on almost every show across the network as a massive PR push. On the other hand, it feels like Stephen A. Smith just does First Take and… pic.twitter.com/FtRHm5RYaA
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“I’m still old enough to remember when he was gonna retire to go to LIV Golf four years ago,” Curtis continued. “People forget about that retirement. There was the whole, ‘I’m gonna retire when I’m 60, I’m gonna retire when the Turner deal is over, I’m gonna retire when Ernie retires.’ But there was also, ‘I’m gonna retire to go to the renegade golf thing’ that just turned out to be completely bogus. He’s coming back.”
Not only did Barkley previously say he was contemplating leaving Inside the NBA for LIV Golf, he defended his interest in taking Saudi money by joking he would “kill a relative” for the dollars they were using to recruit golfers. Barkley ultimately didn’t retire when he was 60, he didn’t leave for LIV Golf, and he didn’t retire when Turner, now TNT Sports, lost the NBA. If Barkley would kill a relative for money, surely he would continue working on Inside the NBA for money.
It’s interesting that Charles Barkley has already attached his future to Ernie Johnson. Because most people believe Johnson will retire soon, and very well could retire after this NBA season. And by attaching his own future to Johnson’s, Barkley can now use this as an excuse to demand more money if ESPN and TNT Sports want to keep him on Inside the NBA beyond this season. Maybe Barkley will walk if he doesn’t get a pay bump. But if there’s one thing Barkley has proven during his near decade of retirement announcements, he can be bought.
About Brandon Contes
Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com