Dan Patrick and Charles Barkley Dan Patrick told Charles Barkley he did not get his vote for NBA MVP in 1993. Photo Credit: Dan Patrick Show

ESPN may have reached an agreement to license Inside the NBA from TNT, but that agreement doesn’t include Charles Barkley just yet.

After talking openly about Warner Bros. Discovery losing NBA rights for TNT for months and repeatedly preaching his desire to see Inside the NBA remain intact, Barkley has been curiously quiet about the show moving to ESPN next season. As it turns out, that might be because Barkley isn’t sure if he wants to go to ESPN.

Barkley joined The Dan Patrick Show Wednesday morning where he was asked whether his current contract with Turner will transition to ESPN.

“I haven’t decided yet,” Barkley admitted. “I’m listening to NBC, Amazon. I want to know everything that’s on the table for me before I sign in. I love those guys at ESPN and if we end up there, I’m gonna do the best I possibly can. First of all, they haven’t even given us any type of schedule, whatsoever. But I’d be doing myself a disservice not to meet with NBC, which I have. And meet with Amazon, which I have. And the number one thing I’ve told everybody, ‘Can y’all give me a damn schedule?’

“Cause nobody knows anything, Dan…I love ESPN, I got nothing against them, but I want to know how much I’m going to be working…They’re not gonna work Charles like no damn dog. I got nothing but love and respect for ESPN, but I’m taking my time with NBA and Amazon. I want it in writing. How much do y’all think I’m gonna work…I want to know what they’re expecting. Are we gonna have the same schedule? Or are we gonna have to do ABC, ESPN and TNT. Because TNT, I think, they originally wanted to keep doing something. So I’m not gonna be doing both. I’m not gonna be doing ABC, ESPN and TNT. That’s not gonna happen.”

That’s two very interesting developments. The fact that Barkley hasn’t committed to ESPN despite ESPN reaching an agreement to license Inside the NBA from TNT. And the fact that Barkley believes TNT “wanted to keep doing something.” TNT won’t have NBA rights beginning next season, but the network may have still wanted to maintain some form of Inside the NBA.

Because Barkley doesn’t know how ESPN wants to use him or the show next season, this doesn’t sound like he’s just trying to get an extra dollar out of ESPN. It sounds like a lot of the details haven’t been filled in yet. And Barkley isn’t the only question mark. It was previously reported that Shaquille O’Neal isn’t under contract for the looming move to ESPN next season either. NBA fans want the show to stay together. Barkley previously talked about wanting the show to stay together. And it seemed like everything might stay together through a licensing agreement with ESPN, until Barkley through cold water on that today.

If the show isn’t coming to ESPN with Barkley and Shaq, should the Worldwide Leader still want it? The good news here is that Barkley doesn’t seem to have any interest in retiring. But this still very well might be his final season alongside Shaq, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson.

[The Dan Patrick Show]

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