Charles Barkley is not the one to keep his opinions unfiltered. Thus, when the news came out about TNT moving its hit pre and post-game show, ‘Inside the NBA,’ back to ESPN, Barkley was itching to get his thoughts out. For the uninitiated, the Emmy award-winning show features a star-studded cast. Apart from Barkley, there is Shaquille O’Neal, Ernie Johnson, and Kenny Smith. And each one of them has his own unique and unfiltered take on the matters during the live show.
But with the news coming out about the show moving to ESPN, Barkley joked about having to behave themselves in the show. “Kenny, 12:30… Times have changed, Kenny. We gotta go back to kissing a**,” said Barkley during one of the episodes. Now, keeping the lighthearted conversation apart, Joe Flint from The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week about ‘Inside The NBA’s shift.
Charles Barkley jokes about the new developments with “Inside the NBA”
“Times have changed, Kenny. We gotta go back to kissing ass.” pic.twitter.com/nPuAFYDlfK
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 20, 2024
The report stated that TNT has agreed to license the show to ESPN and ABC, which is scheduled to kick off in October 2025. This series of events stemmed from the ongoing legal complications between Warner Bros. and the NBA. In a shocking revelation, the NBA left Warner Bros. out of its media rights deal set to take effect from the 2025-26 season.
With ESPN/ABC listed as a media partner, Warner Bros. did not have a choice other than to move their show to ESPN. Meanwhile, the expectation is that Charles Barkley would remain true to himself on ESPN as well. But this was not the only instance where Barkley made an interesting comment.
Charles Barkley Cites Himself As A Better ‘Pure Basketball Player’ Than Shaquille O’Neal
Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal are best friends. But that does not mean the duo does not refrain from pulling each other’s legs. In a recent episode of the SteamRoom podcast on the NBA on TNT, Barkley was asked about a unique possibility. Provided both he and Shaq were 6ft tall, who, according to Barkley, would have been a better basketball player?
“No question, I’m a better player… But just as a pure basketball player, I’m a much better basketball player,” said Barkley without hesitating for even a moment. He then went on to praise Shaq for his impeccable physical presence. “I’ve never played against Wilt Chamberlain, but I’ve never played against a player more physically imposing than Shaq,” commented Barkley.
Thus, with ESPN set to take over the reins, fans would wait to witness whether Charles Barkley puts a check on his hilarious self or not.
