Who is the GOAT? It’s a conversation that sports fans can obsess over no matter the circumstances or the subjects. How many hours of sports talk radio and embrace debate television has been filled by GOAT talk – whether it’s something definitive or projecting it in the future. But rarely have we ever turned that conversation towards sports broadcasting. But maybe it’s time to do so, specifically in the case of Charles Barkley.
With NBC doing battle with TNT for what looks to be the final contract in the next NBA rights deal, the future of Inside the NBA is in real jeopardy. Therefore, it has many observers wondering about what will happen to Barkley and Inside the NBA and reflecting on his place in the history of sports broadcasting. Even if TNT loses the NBA, there’s hope that another platform could somehow keep Barkley and the band together, although that seems unlikely.
Dan Le Batard recently called Barkley the greatest behind Howard Cosell… but does he have a claim for the top spot? Let’s examine his credentials.
Barkley joined Inside the NBA in 2000 and over the years has built up quite the collection of awards and honors. Inside the NBA has won 18 Sports Emmys across multiple categories with Barkley taking home four himself as best studio analyst. And Sir Charles was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame as part of the 2020-2021 class.
Of course, Barkley’s career can’t be measured in awards. Take a trip in the time machine and check out Inside the NBA when it was Ernie Johnson and Reggie Theus and it’s like visiting an alternate universe. When Barkley debuted in 2000, he changed the game immediately. Within the first minute on air, he was already sparring with legendary NBA writer Peter Vescey, dropping lines like “I can lose weight, he’s always going to be ugly.”
Barkley’s mix of insight, comedy, and honesty is unmatched in the history of sports broadcasting. And so is his cultural impact. Even in 2024, Barkley is the first voice you want to hear on all matters relating to the NBA. And in partners like Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, and later Shaquille O’Neal, he has the perfect group that has allowed him to continue to thrive over almost 25 years in television. How many people in all of media can be that consistent over that length of time? Take a look at the revolving door of ESPN’s NBA coverage over the same time period and you’ll see just how special his TNT career has been.
The fact that Barkley and Inside the NBA are more relevant now than they ever have been given the increased competition is astounding. Furthering Barkley’s case is his staying power in an increasingly fragmented world.
Broadcast titans like Cosell, Jim McKay, or Jack Whitaker or even more contemporary voices like Al Michaels, Bob Costas, or Jim Nantz all had the bulk of their careers before the advent of streaming and social media where they were largely the only game in town. Most of them were play-by-play voices that had the benefit of providing calls for some of the greatest sports moments of all-time.
Barkley has entered the GOAT conversation doing it from a studio in Atlanta. That may be the most impressive aspect of them all.
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