Inside the NBA on TNT is widely regarded as one of the best studio shows in all of sports. However, the future of the show is currently up in the air amidst talks of TNT potentially losing its NBA broadcast rights. And Charles Barkley has not been shy as of late about publically making the show’s shaky future very well known to the public.
Barkley previously discussed the situation in a recent interview last week, detailing that the entire crew, which is completely in the dark at the moment about their future, is “scared to death” about the potential demise of Inside the NBA.
More recently, Barkley offered some more negative thoughts about the show’s future, saying during Wednesday’s edition of Inside the NBA that fans “wouldn’t have to deal with it much longer” in regards to the potential “curse” that he puts on teams when he picks them to win.
We’ve already seen fear and negativity from Barkley regarding the future of the show. But now, you can add in comedy to the mix after Barkley joked about going on LinkedIn, the popular job search website, during Inside the NBA after Sunday’s Game 7 between the Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“Wait, 2 o’clock tomorrow afternoon,” said Barkley regarding Ernie Johnson’s announcement of the All-Rookie and All-Defensive Teams being announced on Monday afternoon. “We’re not doing that, are we? Because I’m gonna be on LinkedIn tomorrow afternoon.”
Charles Barkley once again jokes about Inside the NBA potentially coming to an end if TNT loses its broadcast rights to the NBA, which got some laughs out of Kenny Smith.
"Wait, 2 o'clock tomorrow afternoon? We're not doing that are we? Because I'm gonna be on LinkedIn tomorrow… pic.twitter.com/4NHYuXplu0
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 20, 2024
Barkley obviously said this in a joking manner. But the potential death of Inside the NBA is absolutely on the table if TNT does indeed lose the right of the NBA to NBC, which has been highly speculated.
If NBC does land the rights deal with the NBA, it sure seems unlikely that they would then bring on Barkley. Especially since Barkley has already expressed that he can opt to become a free agent should TNT lose the rights to the NBA.
Obviously, plenty of opportunities will be on the table for Barkley, so he won’t actually have to join LinkedIn. But it could truly be the end of one of the greatest studio shows in recent memory. And Barkley has sure had a number of different emotions about that possibility as of late.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.