TNT signs a new contract exceeding $100 million with Charles Barkley

After a new contract extension with TNT, NBA legend Charles Barkley might be on the fast track to billionaire status. 

According to the New York Post on Monday (Oct. 17), Barkley agreed to a 10-year contract with the cable TV channel that is expected to be worth more than nine figures. 

The newspaper reports that the 59-year-old basketball player turned commentator of “Inside the NBA” has three years left on a contract that pays him $10 million per season. His current contract expires after TNT’s NBA deal expires in 2024-25. While Barkley’s exact salary is not yet known, it is estimated to be over $100 million and could reach $200 million if he fulfills the entire contract. However, Barkley may retire from television before the contract ends.

In February, he said he didn’t see himself working past 61 years old. “It’s been a great, great thing. I love Ernie [Johnson], Kenny [Smith], Shaq [O’Neal], and everybody we work with. But I just don’t feel the need to work until the day I die. I don’t, man. I’ll be 61 years old if I finish out my contract,” he said. “And I don’t want to die on TV. I want to die on the golf course or somewhere fishing. I don’t want to be sitting inside over [by] fat **s Shaq [waiting] to drop dead.”

While O’Neal has already signed a long-term deal, TNT announced Monday that Johnson and analyst Smith were also signed to new deals.

“We’re all a big family – Ernie, Kenny, and Shaquille are brothers to me – and I wouldn’t still be here if it wasn’t for them and all the amazing people who work on our show,” Barkley said on Monday. “I’m not gonna lie, though, this is a life-altering deal…and I’m blessed to be able to do live television for a living.”

Throughout its illustrious history, “Inside the NBA” has earned 17 Sports Emmy awards for its unique blend of sports and entertainment commentary.