Charles Barkley has made it clear his decision to return to TNT was about making sure his friends kept their jobs.

In doing so, the former NBA and Auburn great said he left “a minimum of $100 million” on the table to stay with Turner Sports.

“The No. 1 thing for me is my people from Turner get to keep their jobs for at least another year,” Barkley said on the Dan Le Batard Show. “That’s all I was concerned with.”

Barkley told “The Dan Patrick Show” last week, TNT executives flew to Philadelphia to talk to him about staying on, and he was told “Inside the NBA” will continue even after the network loses the NBA. When Patrick asked what does that mean, keep doing the show, Barkley laughed and said “that’s what I said.”

“I want to thank all of those networks for reaching out to me,” Barkley told Le Batard. “It was really humbling and cool. It was humbling and cool. It was really humbling and cool to be honest with you. Even though they were throwing crazy numbers, like damn, but as long as I got my people safe at TNT man, I feel really good.”

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.