Charles Barkley recently criticized the NBA’s new deals with massive broadcasting channels. His opinions again gained the attention of many, one of whom is the veteran Stephen A. Smith of ESPN.
In “The Stephen A. Smith Show,” the 56-year-old sports analyst called out to the Phoenix Suns legend since he and fellow TNT commentators show talent to get hired by such massive broadcasting networks.
“Everybody’s looking to get paid, everybody’s trying to get paid and those people at TNT are incredibly talented,” said Smith. “And if you are Amazon, if you are ESPN-ABC, if you are NBC and what have you, look at them. There’s a lot of talent to pluck from that tree. They know what they’re doing over there.”
On Charles Barkley’s statements, the future of NBA on TNT pic.twitter.com/SMBqQdsmIG
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) July 28, 2024
Barkley criticized the NBA for forming an 11-year agreement with Disney, Amazon Prime Video, and NBC. The basketball association declined to make an extension contract with Warner Bros., which owns TNT, where the “Inside the NBA” program is based. The 11-time NBA All-Star expressed his disappointment over the decision, calling the associates “prioritizing money over the fans.”
Stephen A. Smith responded fashionably. He said the 61-year-old shouldn’t worry since he and his fellow commentators will still get paid. The NBA analyst, who is currently based on ESPN, a Disney program, defended the change in the contract as having a good reason. The veteran NBA analyst also said Barkley shouldn’t focus on the money.
For the former Winston point guard, the commentators at the NBA on TNT are incredibly talented people. Hence, they caught the interest of broadcasting companies such as Amazon. Stephen sends another message, saying that Charles should take advantage of the opportunities and money he’ll get working with the new companies.
Charles Barkley’s unforgettable memories with the NBA on TNT.
Charles Barkley is one of the NBA’s infamous commentators on TNT. Barkley and his three confidants made the program popular over the years due to their unique chemistry and wisecracks. Sadly, their program will leave TNT in the 2025–26 season.
The NBA commentators on TNT can still be watched in the final season of their program, which will continue to air on TNT for the upcoming 2024–25 season. After this, the Bread Truck could find a new program or finally retire and play golf. Charless Barkley’s best option is to retire and play his favorite game. However, the 61-year-old is just going with the flow and waiting for what happens next.
For more NBA content:
Follow me on X at @ErnestLeo, and follow us at @HardwoodHeroics. You can also reach out to Ernest Hernandez via email at ernestleo@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest NBA news, click here!
Ernest also handles a YouTube account called Sports On Air, which has over 102 thousand subscribers. The channel contains interviews predominantly from the Philippine Basketball Association. They can be reached through sportsonairph@gmail.com.
