Charles Barkley: Obviously, the NBA wanted to break away from us from the beginning

But Charles Barkley is smart enough to seek an opt-out clause in his final contract negotiations, allowing him to become a TV free agent if TNT loses the NBA rights. With TNT potentially taking the NBA to court, the network isn't out of the game just yet. Now, chances are the NBA will be on Prime, not TNT, beginning in the 2025–2026 season. As 'Tuned' predicted on May 2, that would quickly send Sir Charles' star into the stratosphere. Chuckster could field $20 million-plus in offers from three new NBA rights partners: newcomer Prime; host of ABC/ESPN; and former broadcast partner NBC, which held the rights during Michael Jordan's golden era from 1990 to 2002. ESPN is already looking at Barkley and the rest of the Inside the NBA cast, my sources say. Same for Prime. After the NBA and Prime officially announced the deal, Front Office Sports spoke face-to-face with Jay Marine, Prime Video's global head of sports. Marine spoke carefully about his interest in Barkley and other Inside the NBA characters. But he expressed his admiration for Barkley and the show, noting that he inspired Prime's Friday Night Football with host Charissa Thompson. -via Front Office Sports / July 26, 2024