Dick Vitale, Charles Barkley to broadcast together for first time during March Madness
Dick Vitale and Charles Barkley are set to broadcast basketball together for the first time, according to a report from the Sports Business Journal. The two analysts are collaborating in partnership with TNT and ESPN in the regular season and again in the early part of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
Their first game, per the report, will be Indiana–Kentucky on ESPN on December 13th from Rupp Arena. Dave O’Brien will handle the play-by-play duties.
Vitale and Barkley will also broadcast together during a First Four game from Dayton on truTV. That will be the first time Barkley will call college basketball during March Madness and Vitale will lend his voice to the iconic tournament.
“The push to get this done came from Vitale and Barkley themselves, sources tell SBJ,” Austin Karp wrote. “ESPN and TNT then brought the pieces together, along with CBS Sports, which airs March Madness alongside TNT Sports. Back in 2006, CBS made an outreach to have Vitale call March Madness, but that did not come to pass. Vitale also respectfully declined again in 2023, citing a loyalty to ESPN.”
Barkley is now apart of the ESPN family of networks as the latter licenses Inside The NBA after the partnership, ironically, with TNT came to an end. Barkley, host Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Johnson are still in their respective roles with the show.
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Vitale actually agreed to a new contract extension with ESPN earlier this year. His new deal will keep him at the Worldwide Leader through the 2027-28 season.
His new contract extension will also bring his tenure at ESPN to almost 50 years. Vitale has called more than 1,000 games on the network’s air.
“Dick is the heart of college basketball, and his kindness, generosity and courage are a constant inspiration to us all,” ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said. “Through the creation of the Dick Vitale Invitational, we will celebrate him and his profound impact on the sport. We are also thrilled that Dick will remain a signature voice on ESPN through the 2027-28 season.”