Inside the NBA is literally one of the best shows on television right now. There’s not a funnier, more insightful NBA analysis program out there. Nothing touches it.
Where else could you possibly get these beautiful, ridiculous (yet, correct!) rants about the Lakers while also getting a top-notch roast of an NBA star and heated debates like this one? It doesn’t exist outside of this show.
And the star of it all is Charles Barkley. He doesn’t always have the most complex or insightful analysis on the set but does always say precisely what he feels and is occasionally hilarious when he does it.
There’s not another Barkley in sports media. That’s why it was so nerve-wracking when rumors spread that Barkley might leave Inside the NBA for a broadcasting job with LIV Golf.
For those of you who don’t know, LIV is a golf league funded by the Saudi Arabian government. The same government that carried out its biggest mass execution of 81 people in 2022. Yes, you read that correctly.
They’ve got lots of money, but it’s very, very dirty. That hasn’t stopped some of the biggest pro golfers in the world from taking it, though.
Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia. They’re out of their primes, yes. But those are still huge names. And they all jumped ship from the PGA.
Barkley considered doing it, too. He flirted with LIV heavily over the last few weeks. He even played in a pro-am. Ultimately, though, he decided to keep things going with Turner Sports, he told the New York Post.
“I want to thank Greg Norman and LIV for their interest in me,” Barkley said in a phone interview. “I wish those guys great success and nothing but the best. But, in my best interest, and being fair to Turner — because Turner and basketball have given me every single thing in my life. It is best for me to move on and I’m staying with Turner for the rest of my TV career.”
It doesn’t seem to be because of any moral play, though. Ultimately, Barkley’s sponsors were in limbo. He said as much in an interview on Thursday.
Charles Barkley on potentially joining LIV Golf:
"They haven't offered me a contract. They asked if I was interested, I said yes…My sponsors are concerned. I've heard from Subway, Capital One, Dick's Sporting Goods, so at some point I'm gonna have to make a decision." pic.twitter.com/a8odkmfOJt
— Follow @FTBeard7 (@FTBeard7) July 28, 2022
“My sponsors are concerned. I’ve heard from Subway, Capital One, Dick’s Sporting Goods, so at some point I’m going to have to make a decision,” he said in an interview with ESPN about potentially jumping ship.
Obviously, when you consider who is bankrolling LIV Golf, there’s definitely a reason to be concerned. Good on Barkley’s sponsors for voicing that.
It wasn’t perfect. We almost lost him. But Barkely doesn’t seem to be going anywhere — for now. Maybe LIV comes with a bigger bag to coax him out. It’s definitely still possible.
But, for now, let’s just be thankful he’ll still be on the TNT set next year.
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