The Mound Round of Rebound took political shots on TNT’s Inside the NBA sports show.
Charles Barkley is one of the most entertaining personalities on television, but he isn’t one of the most articulate.
Barkley was forced to double back on one of his offhand jokes during TNT’s Inside the NBA sports show, but he eventually landed the blow on Trump voters that he was looking for.
“We let the fans vote. Look what happened last time they got to vote for President,” said in response to incongruencies in the NBA’s All-Star voting system.
The idea of disenfranchising American citizens because they didn’t vote for the candidate you preferred aside, Barkley immediately knew he made a mistake and apologized to current President Joe Biden.
He clarified that he meant “the guy before the old guy,” referring to former President Donald Trump.
Barkley has made a good living by being the flamboyant mouthpiece on Inside the NBA where he has been a commentator for over 20 years.
Barkley’s New Contract
Barkley is considered one of the greatest NBA players of all time.
But his post-playing career on television has been far more lucrative for the man who was once known as the Mound Round of Rebound.
Barkley reportedly signed a 10-year $317 million contract with TNT last year. During his 16-year NBA career, he earned about $40.6 million, according to Marca.
“We’re all a big family. Ernie (Johnson), Kenny (Smith) and Shaquille (O’neil) 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,” 59-year-old Barkley said last year.
“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.”
Barkley has also flirted with a political career. Back in 2008, Barkley told CNN that he would run for governor in Alabama.