NBA legend Charles Barkley revealed that he and longtime colleague Ernie Johnson were considering retirement after last season, but the opportunity to preserve hundreds of jobs convinced them to continue working on Inside the NBA.
Barkley explained that he was prepared to walk away from television after TNT lost its NBA broadcasting rights to NBC.
With the show’s future uncertain, he explored opportunities with other networks but ultimately felt comfortable with the idea of retiring.
“I was done after last year, and I think Ernie was done. We lost a package to NBC.’ And we both met with NBC, and I met with Amazon. I’m like, ‘You know what? I’m good. I’m 63 years old. I’m good.’”
However, Barkley’s perspective changed after Johnson contacted him about ESPN’s interest in acquiring Inside the NBA. Johnson explained that continuing the program could allow hundreds of employees to keep their jobs.
“And then I get a call from Ernie telling us that ESPN wants to buy the show, and I said, ‘What do you think?’ He said, ‘Well, we talking a couple hundred people get to keep their jobs.’”
Barkley said the possibility of protecting his coworkers’ employment was an important factor in reconsidering retirement. He emphasized his appreciation for the people involved in producing the show, many of whom had worked together for years.
At the same time, the former NBA MVP admitted that he does not want to spend the rest of his life working in television and would prefer to enjoy retirement away from the studio.
“And I said, ‘I would consider that because I love the people I work with. I would consider that if everybody’s going to keep their job. But Ernie, I don’t want to drop dead on TV. I want to drop dead on the 13th fairway.’”
