Fox News: Charles Barkley roasts TNT after saying he was blindsided by ESPN 'Inside the NBA' move

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Charles Barkley roasts TNT after saying he was blindsided by ESPN 'Inside the NBA' move

NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley ripped TNT Sports after learning his "Inside the NBA" program was transitioning to ESPN next season through the internet.......                    ...                        ...In the realm of sports media, it came as a surprise news broke that TNT's You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login pre- and post-game show "Inside the NBA" would be moving to ESPN. ......One of its stars was just as shocked as the rest of us after finding out when everyone else did. ......You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login, who stars on "Inside the NBA" alongside Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal, and Kenny "The Jet" Smith, recently said that there was no word from Warner Bros' Discovery's Turner Sports about the move before he learned when the news broke.......You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login......"I'll tell you what's fun," Barkley said on "The Bettor Angle" show on You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login. "They haven't even told us we lost the NBA......."We have to hear it through the media. And even this thins with ABC/ESPN, I heard about it on the internet. Scott Van Pelt, Brian Windhorst, Elle Duncan, Bob Myers, all friends of whine who I really like a lot. They texted me welcoming me to the ESPN family. I'm like, 'What happened?' TNT didn't even have the courtesy."......You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login......Barkley added that it felt like the "Inside the NBA" team "got traded," but considering his time playing in the NBA, it's common courtesy to let that person know before it makes the news. ......"If I was going to trade somebody that I had respect for and appreciate, I would at least give them a heads up," he said. "I wouldn't let them hear about it from other people or the internet."......Before this move, Barkley had been really vocal about Turner Sports' rift with its NBA media rights, with "Inside the NBA," a program the famous quartet have been a part of since 2000, potentially closing up shop. ......Back in August, after the NBA signed a new media rights deal with ESPN, NBC and Amazon Prime, Barkley said that he could've gone anywhere, but wanted to stay with the team he knew for over two decades. He later backtracked his statement that this season would be his last, saying he wanted to work with TNT leaders to develop new shows and more sports content. ......TNT felt they weren't able to fairly match the new deal, leading to a lawsuit that was eventually settled with the two sides inking multi-year agreements that would continue "Inside the NBA." ......Then, ESPN confirmed reports last week, saying an agreement was struck with TNT Sports where, except when the show goes on the road, TNT would continue independently produce the show from its Atlanta studios with the foursome intact. It will, however, appear on ESPN and ABC starting in the 2025-26 season.  ......Next season begins the 11-year media rights extension ESPN has with the NBA. ......Follow Fox News Digital's You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login, and subscribe to You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login....

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