Charles Barkley declined multiple lucrative offers to make a life-changing gesture for co-workers

Some humans are proof that no matter how successful you get, all that matters is how humble and considerate you are. Not many celebrities would ignore the opportunity of million-dollar deals that advance their career. But one man chose to secure his co-workers' future rather than grabbing the whopping offers that came his way. Charles Barkley, the former celebrated football player who is now a studio analyst for TNT Sports, recently revealed in The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz why he prioritized his coworkers over captivating deals and it's absolutely wholesome. 

With the NBA breaking their broadcast partnership with TNT Networks, the former football player was expecting intriguing offers from ESPN/ABC, NBC and Amazon Prime Video who would take over NBA broadcasts after this season, as per NBA News. Earlier this June, Barkley announced his retirement from the award-winning show "Inside the NBA," making the 2024-2025 season his last on television. However, in August, the studio analyst decided to remain with TNT Sports and stick by his 10-year contract extension with the channel which he signed in 2022. "I love my TNT Sports family. My number one priority has been and always will be our people and keeping everyone together for as long as possible," he told the media channel.

During Le Batard's podcast, the Hall of Fame football player revealed that he was concerned for his co-workers in TNT Sports. Since 2000, Barkley has been a part of the "Inside the NBA" show and the break of the partnership between NBA and TNT networks made him worry about his other co-workers behind the camera who also contributed to the show's success. "The number one thing for me is my people at Turner to get to keep their jobs for at least another year and that's all I was concerned with," Barkley told Le Batard. When the host asked how much money he was losing by staying loyal to his TNT Sports family, the former football player said, "A minimum of $100 million. A minimum."

A clip of this interview was shared on the podcaster's official X handle, @LeBatardShow, and it blew up with over 226K views in a couple of weeks. "Barkley only needs so much money but his happiness means most to him plus he loves his fellow coworkers," commented @bobothehobo58. "He's the best. I met him years ago and he didn't know me from anyone. Went out of his way to acknowledge me and treat me with respect," shared @SportsSmartAss1. "Taking care of his people so that after this year he'll get that money back with whoever he goes to. I'd rather be happy and loved than greedy and worked to death," added @Barbara89418315.

This wasn't the first time Barkley stole hearts through his thoughtful gestures. In 2020, the former football star worked with the sports card company Panini to auction off one of his two Olympic gold medals and his 1993 NBA MVP award to build affordable housing in his hometown of Leeds in Alabama, as per CNN. "I don’t think I have to walk around with my gold medal or my MVP trophy for people to know I’m Charles Barkley, so I’m going to sell all that crap," he said at the time.