Charles Barkley is blasting the NBA’s move to snub a broadcast deal from Warner Bros. Discovery to continue airing games in favor of teaming with Amazon, claiming the pro basketball league is choosing money over fans.
The NBA announced this week that it had inked 11-year agreements to air games on Amazon Prime Video, Disney and NBC. Warner Bros. owns cable channel TNT, which has carried NBA games for nearly four decades as well as “Inside the NBA,” an Emmy-award winning show hosted by Barkley, Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith.
“Clearly, the NBA has wanted to break up with us from the beginning,” Barkley wrote in a social media post on Friday. “I’m not sure TNT ever had a chance. TNT matched the money. The league knows Amazon and these tech companies are the only ones willing to pay for the rights when they double in the future. The NBA didn’t want to piss them off.”
“It’s a sad day when owners and commissioners choose money over the fans,” he added. “It just sucks.”
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Turner Sports
The NBA didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about Barkley’s statement.
The NBA’s new broadcast pact, which kicks off with the 2025-26 season, leaves the fate of “Inside the NBA” unclear. The new deals means that games will be televised on a mix of both broadcast TV and streaming services, including Amazon Prime as well as Peacock and ESPN’s upcoming standalone streaming service, expected to launch in 2025.
The agreements are worth a combined $76 billion, according to the Associated Press.
