BARKLEY WILL RETIRE AND UNRETIRE, LIKE THOSE WHO’VE ACTUALLY WON RINGS
I’m seeing right through Charles, who might quit like Brady and Jordan and other greats, but even if he angers his bosses at Warner Bros. Discovery, he gambles too much to give up tens of millions
He failed to win a ring, losing in 1993, when I remember Charles Barkley standing in a corner of an Irish bar as a long line of women waited to say hello. This did happen, in the nightlife kingdom of Scottsdale, where he later was arrested because he ran a stop sign. “I was gonna drive around the corner and get (oral sex),” he told a police officer before mentioning to a civilian employee, “I’ll tattoo your name on my ass.”
So, if he’s going to “retire” from network television after the 2024-25 season, why wouldn’t Barkley copy the modus operandi of many athletic greats who’ve actually won championship rings? Why wouldn’t he retire … and unretire in 2026? That way, he finally could share a berth with Tom Brady, Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, Michael Phelps, Magic Johnson, Deion Sanders, Mario Lemieux, Michael Schumacher, Marshawn Lynch and Brett Favre. They all could flash a circular band, or six or seven, for reverence.
He can’t. But he did manage a smooch or two with a Guinness.
When in doubt, shout the clout. Never mind that we see right through Barkley only hours after he issued his statement. Do yourself an entertainment favor: Ignore Chuck and LeBron James during the rest of the NBA Finals. Both are aching for attention — LeBron through JJ Redick, Barkley through everything but oral sex — and disregard the desperate duo. Watch the Boston Celtics win the title at home Monday evening. Pick up the story next season on TNT. I’m bored already.
No one actually believes Barkley is leaving. He’s fuming. He can’t stand the thought that David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, has more power in discussions about whether the network will continue coverage of the league. The wait has lasted months. Barkley doesn’t think he should have to wait, nor does he think workers on the program should have to wait. Therefore, he’s threatening to quit at 61.
“I ain’t going nowhere other than TNT,” Barkley said on NBA TV. “But I have made the decision myself that, no matter what happens, next year is going to be my last year on television.”
His network isn’t even taking Barkley seriously. “We’re looking forward to another fantastic NBA season on TNT and further discussion of our future plans with him,” TNT Sports said Saturday.
I’m not sure what he’d do in life without his nights on “Inside the NBA.” His side gig as a news-side talker, with Gayle King, flopped this year. He is too frayed to jump into politics. He won’t work for a franchise because he has angered too many executives. Jordan, who won six titles, certainly isn’t hiring Barkley to help him own and operate a NASCAR team. And even if he has spoken to ESPN, NBC and Amazon Prime — which are expected to pay $76 billion between them — let’s shun what he said about rejecting outside offers. He’ll take one. Give it some time.
“There has been a lot of noise around our network the last few months. I just want to say: I’ve talked to all the other networks, but I ain’t going nowhere,” Barkley said. “I have made the decision myself. I just want to say thank you to my NBA family. You guys have been great to me. My heart is full of joy and gratitude. I hope the NBA stays with TNT. But for me personally, I wanted you guys to hear from me.”
All you need to know: Barkley has eight years left on a contract close to Tony Romo’s $180 million deal. He’s certainly not giving up that money while he continues to gamble with FanDuel — and elsewhere in the grimy casino world. And with honors to the Athletic’s Andrew Marchand, please don’t believe his b.s. that Barkley “will have a place next to Howard Cosell and John Madden as analysts in the modern era of sports broadcasting, crossing over as an icon in American culture.” Barkley is a zits-on product of weenies who cover sports media. He speaks his mind. He often is wrong. When he failed with King, it gave us an overview of Charles over Real America.
If he goes away, someone offering a vanilla flavor will take his role. As he said, “I'm going to pass the baton to either Jamal Crawford or Vince Carter or you, Steve (Smith).” They won’t say much, ever. Hmmm. Has it occurred to Barkley that the NBA, quietly, is trying to roast him the way it dumped ESPN’s Jeff Van Gundy?
He’ll stay. Someone will hire him, such as Amazon. He and Al Michaels can have a going-away party. Until then, appreciate that we don’t hear him until October.
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Jay Mariotti, called “without question the most impacting Chicago sportswriter of the past quarter-century,’’ writes general sports columns for Substack while appearing on some of the 1,678,498 podcasts and shows in production today. He is an accomplished columnist, TV panelist and talk/podcast host. Living in Los Angeles, he gravitated by osmosis to film projects.