Charles Barkley admits there’s a path to continuing ‘Inside the NBA’ another ‘year or more’

Charles Barkley was an amazing basketball player, he’s a great television analyst and personality, but he is awful at retiring.

Barkley already announced this will be his last season on Inside the NBA, and he even double downed on that guarantee. But if there’s one thing you know from watching Barkley on Inside the NBA, his bold “guarantees” rarely forecast the actual outcome.

During an appearance on The Bill Simmons Podcast several weeks ago, Barkley claimed this was going to be Ernie Johnson’s last season on Inside the NBA. And if it is going to be Johnson’s final season, Barkley said it will be his last season too, adding, “Me and Ernie are a package deal.” But Johnson hasn’t made any announcement on his future, which begs the question: what happens if he returns?

Joining The Next Round Thursday morning, Barkley was asked about his looming retirement plans. And while he maintained this will be his last season on TV, he did leave the door open to put his retirement on hold if Johnson does.

“I wouldn’t want to do the show with anybody else, to be honest with you,” Barkley said. “I don’t think he’s going to change his mind. If he did, I’d probably do it a year or more. But hopefully he won’t change his damn mind.”

Barkley has been predicting and announcing his retirement from television for nearly a decade. But every time he reaches his expected expiration date, Barkley keeps moving the goalposts and blaming someone else for luring him back.

He was supposed to retire at 60, but stayed so TNT Sports could try to keep NBA rights. He was supposed to leave for LIV Golf, but stayed when TNT paid him $100 million. He was supposed to leave when TNT lost the NBA, but stayed to help transition the show to ESPN. And now he’s supposed to leave when Ernie Johnson does.

But what if Ernie stays? Or what if Barkley receives an offer to work less, but make more money? Until Barkley actually retires and stays retired, nobody will believe that he’s going to retire.