Turner Sports host Charles Barkley has never shied away from criticizing his own employer, but in a statement Friday he aimed his anger at the NBA and team owners for choosing “money over fans.”
Barkley and Wade go 1 on 1
The NBA Hall of Famer, a co-host of Turner studio show Inside the NBA, had previously criticized Turner parent company Warner Bros. Discovery for the way it approached negotiations with the league. As the current rightsholder through the end of the 2024-25 season, WBD had an exclusive period of talks but reportedly balked over price. The NBA subsequently struck deals with the other incumbent, Disney-ESPN, as well as NBCUniversal and Amazon. The three packages are worth $77 billion over 11 years. When WBD asserted its rights to match Amazon’s offer, the league rejected it, prompting the media company to promise “appropriate action,” likely of the legal sort.
"It's clear that the NBA wanted to break with us from the beginning," Barkley said in a statement on social media. "I'm not sure TNT ever had a chance. TNT matched the money, but the league knows that Amazon and these tech companies are the only ones willing to pay for the rights if they double down in the future. The NBA didn't want to upset them.
"It's a sad day when owners and commissioners choose money over the fans. It just sucks. I want to thank everyone who has worked at Turner for the last 24 years. They are the best people and the most talented and they deserve better. I also want to thank the NBA and the fans – the best fans in sports. We're going to give you everything we've got next season."
