If this NBA season really is the Charles Barkley retirement tour, he’s going to make sure he looks better than Aaron Rodgers on his way out.
Barkley’s extensive media tour to kick off the 2026-27 NBA season landed him on Adam Schein’s Mad Dog Sports Radio show Wednesday afternoon. And during the interview, Schein asked the obligatory question about retirement with Barkley repeatedly claiming this is his final season on Inside the NBA.
After Barkley reiterated this was going to be it for him, Schein referred to the season as a retirement tour, comparing it to the current retirement tour for Aaron Rodgers, who has similarly insisted this will be his final season in the NFL.
“But I tell you what though, I’m not gonna bury everybody going out the door like Aaron,” Barkley interjected. “I’m not gonna burn every bridge and talk bad about all my exes on my way out the door like he’s doing.”
Last month, Aaron Rodgers joined teammate Cam Heyward and his Not Just Football podcast where the 42-year-old quarterback made several scathing comments about ex-fiancé Shailene Woodley and ex-girlfriend Danica Patrick. He also ripped two former Green Bay Packers teammates, Greg Jennings and Jermichael Finley. As surprising as some of the comments were, Rodgers has made a habit of burning bridges and placing blame on everyone in his personal or professional life except for himself.
Charles Barkley may not seek to call out anyone from his personal life on his way out the door, but the longtime Inside the NBA analyst has no issue burying bosses if he feels it’s warranted. When TNT Sports lost NBA rights, Barkley did not hide his disdain for network executives and continues to make it clear he feels they mishandled the relationship. If Barkley isn’t happy with ESPN for whatever reason this season, he similarly won’t hide those concerns.
But the biggest difference between Aaron Rodgers and Charles Barkley is that everyone believes Rodgers is going to retire after this season. No one believes Barkley, who has been teasing retirement for at least a decade now. Because when push comes to shove, Barkley always goes back to TV for the money.
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