Charles Barkley Officially Turns Down NBC, Cancels His Meetings With Amazon And Declares His Heart Will Always Be At Turner Sports

Jamie Schwaberow. Getty Images.

Ever since the NBA announced that their new TV deal was going to be a combination of NBC/ABC/ESPN/Amazon all hosting games, it's been interesting to see who NBC/Amazon has been able to fill out their rosters with. It really is like the Avengers of Sports Media, with guys like Kevin Harlan (#2 play by play guy), Noah Eagle, Brian Anderson, Taylor Rooks, Cassidy Hubbarth, Mike Tirico, Reggie Miller, Jamal Crawford, the list goes on and on with some of the best in the business.

You know who it won't include? Chuck

As we know, Inside The NBA as we know it is on it's last legs, and my guess is we'll only see it sparingly on ESPN/ABC games if at all. What does that mean for those of us who enjoy watching Chuck during the season? That pretty much after TNT loses their rights, we'll basically see him even less, which as a fan absolutely stinks. Chuck on TV is the best in the business, but at the same time, I can't really fault him here. Sometimes when you're older and have more money than God, your priorities change. You heard it in that clip, the only thing Chuck cares about how is how much he's going to have to work, which is kind of a boss stance to have. He knows he has all the leverage in these negotiations, and he also knows that no amount of money is worth him having to actually work more. That's incredible.

I don't see that as Chuck being lazy or anything, I see it as a guy who gets to reap the rewards of his decades long run of dominating sports media. 

Now, there's a case to be made here that this isn't the worst thing in the world. If you're someone who is looking for more in depth analysis from people who are watching every single game, then this news probably excites you. I'm someone who thinks there should and can be a balance of both. You can have a guy like Chuck on for the entertainment factor while also having people around who actually watch every night and don't just reiterate the same old tired narratives. I'm not going to suggest that things like Inside The NBA are the reason NBA ratings are down (that's insane) or is hurting the league (also insane)

but I can understand why some are ready for that era of NBA basketball discourse to be over. I'll miss it, despite the times where they trigger me based on their braindead analysis at times, but it's still entertaining at the end of the day. There's a reason it's largely considered the best show on TV for the last two decades. People want to see Chuck because Chuck delivers the goods basically without even trying.

In some ways, Chuck turning down NBC/Amazon sort of has me excited for this new era. Roundball Rock is back, NBA on NBC is basically injecting nostalgia right into my veins, and while I'm definitely going to be annoyed with having to go to my Amazon app to watch games and then have to open another app to go back to League Pass games when there's a commercial, I'll get over it. Their football product has been solid, the media they've hired is solid, so there's a world where that experience isn't terrible.

So if this is it with Chuck and we only get him every once in a while during an ESPN/ABC game, it'll be a bummer but what can you do? The guy has earned the right to do whatever the hell he wants.