Charles Barkley has been very openly entertaining the possibility of joining LIV Golf as an analyst. The Hall of Famer has also made it clear that it will take a lot of money to convince him to make a major career change, and we may now have a better idea of how much.
Barkley is playing in the LIV pro-am on Thursday at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J. He told “The Dan Patrick Show” on Monday that he has set a deadline for LIV to make him an offer by the time he leaves that event.
“I’m not gonna keep TNT in limbo. To be honest with you, I don’t think it’s fair to them,” Barkley said. “(The LIV) has gotten plenty of play out of me coming to play up there Thursday, so I’m not just gonna be a show pony. Don’t be wasting my time. I’m not gonna waste y’all’s time. When I leave New Jersey Thursday night, if I don’t have an offer in hand, it’s over.”
Patrick then asked Barkley what it would take for him to sign a contract with LIV. Barkley admitted that his interest in LIV is financially driven. While he did not want to get into specifics of how much he currently makes, Patrick threw out an estimate of $20 million per year between Barkley’s TNT salary and endorsements. Barkley hinted that the figure was close. The former NBA star was then asked if he would sign with LIV if they tripled his current salary.
Charles Barkley discusses what type of offer it would take for the #LIV Tour to get him. pic.twitter.com/RGyj4igK22
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) July 25, 2022
“If they offer me something crazy, I’m gonna take it,” Barkley said. “Considering how much money I make now, it would take a really huge number for me to give up my life right now. I’m not gonna give up my life. … If they triple it, the next time I’m on your show the first question better be, ‘Charles, where we celebrating at tonight?'”
Barkley reportedly makes around $10 million a year with TNT. The Saudi-backed LIV league has seemingly endless financial resources, so it would not be a surprise if they offer Barkley a lot more than that. Then, the big question would be whether Barkley has to give up his current job or could do both. There have been indications that he will have to leave TNT if he signs with LIV.
