Charles Barkley Dares ESPN to Fire Him with $140 Million Contract in His Pocket

Charles Barkley is wary of working with ESPN after they secured a deal to broadcast Inside the NBA starting next season.

Charles Barkley Dares ESPN to Fire Him with $140 Million Contract in His Pocket

Charles Barkley will not work as per ESPN's demands (Image via Firstsportz)

Hall of Famer Charles Barkley has managed to make a legacy for himself during the two-plus decades he has been on television. The Inside the NBA star has helped the show become synonymous with basketball, and fans were worried they would lose him and the crew after TNT lost the media-rights deal.

He criticized the league for becoming greedy and wanting to rake in as much money as they could to help the owners and players earn a lot more than they already do. Barkley entertained ideas to run a show through his production house while also speaking with winning networks on potential deals.

But eventually, he decided to stay put with TNT. At around the same time, the NBA, along with ESPN, brokered a deal with TNT Sports, wherein the Inside the NBA show would continue, albeit through ESPN. Even though it is a done deal, Barkley has again reiterated that he will not work to ESPN’s usual standards.

They can’t fire me! I make too much money to get fired. So, they can’t fire me. First of all, if they fire me, they got to pay me for seven years, and I’m going to quit way before then. But if they want to fire me, I would love for them to do that.

Charles Barkley said

The Round Mound of Rebound clarified that ESPN was not going to dictate how he was going to work. Considering how they are known for pushing employees to work beyond the agreed weekly hours, he has time and again clarified that he will not do so. If they want to fire him, they will have to pay him the $140 million or so remaining on his contract.

Charles Barkley will not toe ESPN’s way of covering the NBA

Other than the working hours, another gripe Charles Barkley has with ESPN is about their excessive coverage of popular topics. He slammed the network for continuously covering the Los Angeles Lakers while other teams were not getting their due attention. While speaking with Dan Dakich of Outkick, he clarified his stance.

I’m not going to change my personality. Nobody’s going to tell me what to say or what to do. I get upset. They are like, ‘The Lakers are contenders.’ I’m like, ‘No, they’re not.’ They know they’re not contenders.

Charles Barkley said

Charles Barkley mentioned how Kendrick Perkins, with whom he has a long-standing beef, keeps on harping about the Lakers. But he has always maintained his stance that the franchise is not a contender yet. Many have criticized that stance, but his belief was vindicated when the Lakers bounced out of the 1st round.

His close friend and ESPN stalwart Stephen A. Smith clarified that they have to talk about the Lakers due to the need to register high ratings. But Barkley’s latest words indicate he will not toe that line. He will do what he wants and how he wants to do it.

Barkley not sure how ESPN and Inside the NBA will work out

Charles Barkley and Inside the NBA have been working a certain way for more than two decades. Now with ESPN coming in to handle the show starting next season, there might be some changes. But he insists they have no clue how they are going to work, as he told Dan Dakich.

Inside the NBA crew have no clarity on future working style with ESPN
Inside the NBA crew have no clarity on future working style with ESPN (Image via Open Source/X)

That’s one thing that has been very interesting and frustrating for me. We actually don’t have any idea how this thing is gonna work. We have no idea how much we are gonna work, we don’t know who we are gonna work with.

Charles Barkley said

As per the 62-year-old, the lack of clarity is driving him nuts. He, along with his crew, wants to get clarity as soon as possible. Then they can start working on how to continue being entertaining for basketball fans. The Hall of Famer understands there might be some changes, but they want to know what they will work with.

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