Charles Barkley 'Inside The NBA' Salary: Here's How Much He Earns
Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley earned tens of millions of dollars during his playing years and continues to make big money as a TV sports analyst. Here's a look at his net worth and career.
During his 16-year NBA career, Barkley was regarded as one of the most controversial, outspoken and dominating players in the history of basketball.
Before he became known as one of the best power forwards in NBA history, Barkley, 59, played college basketball for Auburn University for three seasons.
He was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the fifth pick in the 1984 NBA draft. During his time with the Sixers, he played in six All-Star games and was named MVP twice.
He became a household name following eight seasons in Philadelphia and had his own signature shoe line with Nike at this point.
The 11-time NBA All-Star and two-time Olympics gold-medalist went on to play for the Phoenix Suns (1992 to 1995) and the Houston Rockets (1996 to 2000).
He earned a total of $40.6 million in salary as a player, according to Spotrac. He earned $307,000 in his rookie year. He was paid $9 million for his final season with the Houston Rockets in 1999.
He also earned tens of millions of dollars from endorsements with companies such as Nike, McDonald's and T-Mobile.
However, while the basketball superstar amassed a significant fortune from his on- and off-court earnings, he admitted to losing roughly $10 million, potentially as much as $30 million, due to gambling.
Barkley also claimed during a 2021 podcast appearance that his first player manager cheated him out of $100 million early in his career.
Today, his net worth is estimated to be around $50 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
After he retired in 2000, Barkley joined TNT’s “Inside the NBA” as a sports analyst.
His net worth is reportedly generated from his TNT salary. He earns $1.5 million per year in his sports analyst gig, Fox Sports reported.
Barkley has won three Sports Emmy Awards for his work as a sports commentator. He has previously stated plans to retire from TV in 2023.
Barkley made headlines this week after Golden State Warriors fans appeared to throw items at him during the season finale of "Inside the NBA" Thursday, USA Today reported.
The incident occurred during the TNT postgame show outside the Chase Center in San Francisco, California, following the Warriors' 120-110 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
Barkley, who dissed Warriors fans and the city of San Francisco for weeks, was also the target of "Chuck you suck" chants.
Ernie Johnson, Magic Johnson and Charles Barkley Photo: Robert Occhialini/ Flickr