Charles Barkley Dares ESPN to Fire Him Over Cardi B Joke, Seeking 6-7 Years' Pay

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 10

Charles Barkley said Wednesday he would “love” ESPN to fire him after his on-air crack about Cardi B, because it would force a payout on the six or seven years left on his contract.
Game 3 of the NBA Finals triggered the flare-up: Barkley joked that Cardi B’s halftime appearance suggested her name should be “Cardi D,” then dismissed critics by saying people who cannot take a joke can “kiss my ass.”
ESPN’s leverage appears limited because “Inside the NBA” remains a TNT production that ESPN licenses for Finals coverage rather than directly controls editorially.
That arrangement has also solved a long-running ESPN problem: after years of failed studio-show overhauls, the network’s first Finals run with “Inside the NBA” has been widely seen as a major upgrade.