If TNT loses the NBA and, presumably, “Inside the NBA,” will Charles Barkley continue to be on TV?

The question is more relevant than ever after it was reported Wednesday by The Sports Business Journal that the NBA is “formalizing written contracts” with Disney, NBC and Amazon this week to wrap up the league’s next media right deal.

The short answer is we don’t know if he will be on TV, but he will have the ability to be. The NBA’s media rights deal expires after the 2024-25 season, so there is still time.

Last month, the former Auburn star told ESPN Cleveland’s “The Really Big Show” he has the ability to get out of his deal if TNT wasn’t a part of the NBA ‘s next media rights package.

“I covered my ass to be honest with you,” Barkley said, per Awful Announcing. “I just signed a 10-year deal two years ago, but one of the things I did was I put an opt-out in a couple years because I wanted to cover my ass when it comes to this situation.”

The Hall of Famer power forward has been vocal about the idea of TNT – and Warner Bros. Discovery – losing the ability to cover the NBA.

Barkley, who appeared on ESPN Chicago’s Tom Waddle and Marc Silverman earlier this month, expressed his frustration.

“Am I concerned? 100 percent,” Barkley said. “We have zero idea what’s going to happen. We might lose (the media rights deal). I feel so bad for the people I work with. It is brutal. It is flat out brutal. Everyone is scared to death.

“This is the first time during the exclusive window that we did not re-sign in advance. I will tell you this. It’s very stressful for the people I work with. … We might lose it. It’s 50-50 if we lose our part to NBC.”

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.