Charles Barkley ends talks with LIV Golf, staying with Turner

Visits: 6

NBA Hall of Famer and television analyst Charles Barkley will not be joining LIV Golf as a broadcaster after entertaining the idea over the past few weeks, according to The New York Post. 

Barkley was rumored to be considering a move to LIV Golf, which could have impacted his current role as an analyst on TNT’s “Inside the NBA.”

“I want to thank Greg Norman and LIV for their interest in me,” Barkley said in a phone interview, according to The Post. “I wish those guys great success and nothing but the best. But, in my best interest, and being fair to Turner — because Turner and basketball have given me every single thing in my life — It is best for me to move on, and I’m staying with Turner for the rest of my TV career.”

CHARLES BARKLEY DISMISSES ‘BLOOD-MONEY,’ ‘SPORTSWASHING’ CRITIQUES AGAINST LIV GOLF

Barkley played in LIV’s pro-am on Thursday, one day before the start of LIV Golf’s third tournament at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey.

On Thursday, Barkley told ESPN that he had yet to receive a formal offer from LIV Golf but did have a conversation with Norman, the CEO of LIV. 

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“I met with Greg and I told him yes. I’m in a win-win situation,” Barkley said Thursday. “If they offer me something good, that’s great. If they don’t, I’ve got a great job at TNT.”

The Saudi-backed golf series has generated a great deal of controversy due to its ties to Saudi Arabia and the number of PGA Tour players who have decided to join LIV Golf. 

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On Wednesday, LIV announced its 2023 schedule, which will feature 48 golfers playing on 12 established team franchises for 14 tournaments. The total purse for the 2023 season will be $405 million.

Last week, Barkley pushed backed against the criticism that LIV has received, saying that everyone in pro sports has taken money from a questionable source. 

“I told [Norman], listen, they are making up words like ‘blood money’ and ‘sportswashing.’ I said, ‘We have all taken “blood money,” and we all have “sportswashed” something, so I don’t like those words, to be honest with you,'” Barkley said.

“If you are in pro sports, you are taking some type of money from not a great cause.”

LIV Golf’s third tournament tees off Friday at 1:15 p.m. ET.

Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.

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