Charles Barkley has been outspoken on many aspects of the situation surrounding TNT’s loss of NBA media rights after next season.
But one thing has become clear again and again in recent weeks: his genuine concern for his fellow human beings Insights into the NBA Colleagues who face an uncertain future.
Barkley appeared on ESPN’s Amber and Ian Podcast on Thursday and revealed a surprise – he wants to give cash gifts to dozens of his TNT colleagues to help them.
Surprisingly, Barkley announced earlier this week that he will not retire after next season and will remain with TNT long-term. He confirmed on Thursday on The Dan Patrick Show that TNT will continue Insights into the NBA also after the next season.
What that will look like is anyone’s guess, and not even Barkley seemed to have an answer, but he is delighted that employees are keeping their jobs.
“I had a clause in my contract that allowed me to become a free agent if we lost the NBA,” Barkley said. “(TNT executives) came and met with me last week, and I said, ‘What are we going to do?’ My number one priority is to keep as many people employed as possible, and I’ve been able to do that. I don’t think we have any idea what we’re going to do.”
“I said, ‘I want everyone to keep their jobs. If I have to take a pay cut, I’ll take a pay cut.’ They said, ‘You don’t have to do that.’ … But my number one goal was to make sure everyone at Turner stayed employed.”
The news that WBD-Turner lost the NBA rights hit everyone hard, Barkley said. He said he wanted to help his friends and colleagues.
“The last couple of months have been really bleak at work because hundreds of people are going to lose their jobs,” Barkley said. “I’m going to give $5,000 to all 50 people who are down in the studio every night. … That’s how much they mean to me. TNT says I have to, and the government says I have to pay taxes. I said, ‘Screw the government and screw TNT, I’m going to find a way to get it to all of you in cash.’
“So that’s the only thing I’ve been working on for the last few months: trying to get all the money in cash.”
Barkley has expressed his concern for his colleagues several times in recent weeks. During a recent appearance on Podcast P, he said it’s been tough to see how people are reacting to the situation.
“I took everyone and tried to keep them happy,” Barkley said. “They said, ‘Man, I’m married, I have a wife, I have kids, I have a mortgage and I’m not going to have a damn job.’
“It really hurt me that people, my friends, talked like that. Man, I’ve never been in a situation like that in my life where I was going to lose my job and have a family to take care of.”
(Amber and Ian)
