"There's no chance in hell": 60-year-old Charles Barkley dismisses broadcasting until 70 despite 10-year extension

NBA legend-turned-TNT analyst Charles Barkley is one of the most beloved media personalities in all of sports.

So, naturally, fans were ecstatic when the 60-year-old signed a new 10-year contract extension with TNT last year. However, according to Barkley, he has no intention of carrying out all 10 years of his latest broadcasting deal.

During a recent appearance on the “SI Media With Jimmy Traina” podcast, Barkley said that his new deal with TNT was just a formality. Barkley said that he just signed it to assure fans that he wasn’t leaving anytime soon. However, he doesn’t actually plan to work until 70:

“But they (Warner Bros Discovery) wanted me to let people know I wasn't leaving, like, next week,” Barkley said. “There's no chance in hell I'm gonna be working when I'm 70. Zero. But they said, ‘Hey let's just make people think you're gonna hang around.’”

Barkley added that he's at peace with all that he has accomplished throughout his broadcasting career since joining TNT in 2000. So, he just wants to make sure that he doesn’t overstay his welcome on television and that he goes out on a high:

“I'll be honest with you. The only thing that keeps me up at night is trying to figure out when's the best time to walk away because the one thing you don't want to do is stay too long,” Barkley said. “What’s interesting is, I can’t believe I’ve been doing this s**t 23 years. That’s what’s crazy. I mean, that’s a long time.

He added:

“So what really keeps me up at night, to be flat-out honest with you, and I don't know the right or the wrong answer, is when’s the best time to walk away? Do you wanna walk away while the show is still successful or do you want them to go like,

‘Hey, man, we're really sick of seeing y’all face after all these years.’ So that’s really the only thing that keeps me up late at night, trying to figure out what’s the best way to leave.”

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Charles Barkley says he would like to spend more time with his grandchildren

NBA legend-turned-TNT analyst Charles Barkley and his grandson, Henry

As for what Charles Barkley plans to do once he retires from TNT, the NBA legend would like to spend more time with his grandchildren.

During his SI podcast appearance, Barkley said that being a grandfather has been a life-changing experience for him:

“I will tell you this, two of my mentors are Ernie Johnson and Clark Kellogg, and they told me being a grandpa was gonna be the greatest thing in the world, and let me tell you something: they are right,” Barkley said.

Barkley added that his grandchildren are both still very young. However, he said that he wants to be able to witness them grow up while he is still around:

“I mean, little Henry and the little girl, she’s new,” Barkley said. “Henry is 16 months, and little Charlie is like five months, and it’s the best thing that ever happened to me by far in my life.

"Henry’s starting to walk and run, and Charlie's just still obviously a newbie, but when they're 8, 9, 10, I wanna be around them. But like I say, I won’t be around when they get older. I am not even worried about death. I’m not morbid, but I want to spend time with them while I can, and that’s my main motivation.”