(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
For years, Charles Barkley has had one of the loudest voices in the NBA.
Being one of the greatest power forwards of all time, the Hall of Famer had more than enough stripes to talk basketball, and given his unapologetic and rather bold personality, he was a natural talent when it came to making entertaining television.
For better or worse, and despite a plethora of hot takes and uncalled-for shots, Barkley became a pillar of NBA broadcasting.
That’s not going to go on for much longer.
Following the Dallas Mavericks’ blowout win over the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, Barkley went out of his way to announce that next season would be his final year on TV (via Barstool Sports).
Charles Barkley says that next year will be his last on TV.
Enjoy the Last Dance.
pic.twitter.com/36jB0cqklq
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) June 15, 2024
Barkley admitted that even though other networks have been in touch with him, he wasn’t going to work for anybody else other than TNT.
He added that he hoped TNT would continue to have rights to broadcast the NBA, but even if that was the case, he was going to retire and pass the torch to other people.
Unsurprisingly, this news didn’t sit well with some fans, and they took to social media to express just how sorry they were to hear about that.
End of an Era… This is on you TNT
— RGF (@rgfray1) June 15, 2024
thanks for the memories chuckster
— omsportsburner (@omsportsburner) June 15, 2024
god bless Chuck… gonna miss him on TV
— Pints Forks Friends (@PintsForksFrnz) June 15, 2024
This is a huge loss for the NBA.
— Tim Hanley (@hanley2349) June 15, 2024
Barkley signed a contract extension not so long ago.
Nonetheless, he had also repeatedly stated that he didn’t want to work until old age, and he’s about to turn 62 years old, so this announcement isn’t that surprising.
This is the end of an era, and it’ll be interesting to see who they bring in to replace him.
The post Fans Were Not Happy About Charles Barkley’s Retirement Announcement appeared first on The Cold Wire.