Charles Barkley won’t let corporate honchos silence him over NBA rights deal: ‘I can talk to who I want to’

OutKick founder Clay Travis joins Americas Newsroom to discuss the crime crisis in San Francisco after Charles Barkley called out the citys homeless crooks during a live broadcast of the NBA All-Star Game.

Charles Barkley insisted he can talk to whoever he wants despite pressure from colleagues to get permission from Warner Bros. Discovery honchos before speaking to the press about the possibility of TNT losing the NBA. 

Barkley has long been a key figure on TNT’s iconic "Inside the NBA," but Warner Bros. Discovery has not locked in rights to broadcast NBA games on the network after next season when the current contract expires. 

New York Times reporter Tania Ganguli caught up with the "Inside the NBA" crew at the Western Conference finals in Minneapolis. She wrote that security and public relations officials attempted to "prevent [Barkley] from doing an interview," but the outspoken host wouldn’t keep quiet even as co-host Kenny Smith "voiced his irritation" about it. 

"Hey, man, I can talk to who I want to," Barkley said to Smith inside a crowded elevator, according to Ganguli, who noted that Barkley also used an expletive. 

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Charles Barkley insisted he can talk to whoever he wants. (Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)

Smith then told Barkley he should at least speak to the Times reporter outside the elevator. 

"Don’t worry about him," Barkley told Ganguli, according to her piece. 

The Times reporter said Smith urged her to "clear it through Turner" and "do it the right way" instead of letting Barkley speak out against the wishes of his corporate bosses. 

Barkley told the Times he wanted to speak out because the