For the four hosts, Charles Barkley, Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O’Neal, it truly marks the end of an era. The shocking information that Barkley allegedly turned down a $100 million contract to remain with TNT, however, has taken fans by surprise.
Contributing his thoughts on the situation, former Knick Carmelo Anthony mentioned that Barkley had chastised Jalen Brunson for not taking a pay raise while he was renegotiating with the Knicks.
Carmelo Anthony’s take on Charles Barkley’s sacrifice
The NBA great talked about Barkley’s decision to stay loyal to a company despite leaving a significant amount on the table at 7 PM in Brooklyn. He said,
“Didn’t he sh*t on Jalen Brunson for leaving money on the table with the Knicks?”
But even after bringing up Sir Charles’s previous criticism of Brunson’s choice, Melo acknowledged that he did value Barkley’s allegiance. He added,
“I f**k with it and it’s gonna be something different coming from me…With Barkley, it comes down to, ‘This is my home. I don’t want to leave this. Yeah.. I done built this, we done built this. I done built my whole life off of this sh*t. Nah, I can’t.”
“You can’t leave that. And that’s just me speaking from a loyalty situation. That’s real sh*t what he did. Because I know the numbers being thrown at Barkley. I know the conversations that’s being had about Barkley in that world.”
Barkley left a ridiculous amount of money on the table, but Melo wasn’t offended by this choice. He also considered the thoughts that the analyst-turned-player must have had but that the general public is unaware of. Melo acknowledged that Barkley was being hypocritical by criticizing Brunson’s loyalty, but he also stated that he could never have left money on the table the way Brunson and Sir Charles did.
