TNT.Charles Barkley and TNT’s “Inside the NBA” crew are some of the most beloved figures in basketball media. And according to Chuck, the late, great Kobe Bryant was almost a part of it.
During an appearance on “The Draymond Green Show,” Barkley revealed that Turner actually signed Kobe to be an on-air personality with Shaq, Ernie and the gang; but Bryant ended up pulling out of the deal.
"We actually hired Kobe Bryant"
Charles Barkley tells @Money23Green the whole story: https://t.co/dMWlJX4N8B pic.twitter.com/NcwHgV8zBP
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) March 2, 2022
“He didn’t wanna do all the other [expletive],” Barkley told Green. “I’m probably gonna get in trouble for saying this. But it’s one of the little things that we keep in the cards. He actually signed with us.”
Chuck explained that TNT signed Bryant shortly after his retirement in 2016. But when Bean learned he would regularly have to do the promotional aspect, and all that comes with it, Kobe decided it just wasn’t for him.
Charles Barkley said that Kobe Bryant signed to join the team at Turner Sports, but he eventually decided to not go through with it https://t.co/PVWa4V0smd
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) March 2, 2022
Somewhere in an amazing parallel universe, we would’ve had Shaq and Kobe reunited on the most entertaining basketball program in television. But unfortunately, it wasn’t to be. And a few short years later, we tragically lost the NBA’s greatest shot-making artist.
But it’s fun to imagine the segments that could’ve been.
