Charles Barkley calls for TNT to hire Jeff van Gundy following ESPN firing: 'It would be a home run'

Charles Barkley could find himself joined by none other than Jeff Van Gundy, who recently found himself parting ways with ESPN thanks to a series of layoffs. The Worldwide Leader in Sports laid off a number of high-profile individuals, including the duo of JVG and Mark Jackson.

While there has been no word as to what the future may hold for Van Gundy, Barkley thinks he could wind up having a future at TNT. Although the jump would likely no longer see him call the NBA Finals, Van Gundy would have a massive platform on TNT.

During a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Charles Barkley praised the former FIBA AmeriCup gold-medal winning coach while advocating for him. The way he sees things, Jeff Van Gundy would make a great addition to the TNT family.

"Let me tell you something. I won't be shocked," Barkley said. "I won't be surprised if he finds his way to Turner. I won't be shocked at all. If we hired Jeff Van Gundy, it would be a home run."

Charles Barkley

Charles Barkley criticizes ESPN over layoffs

The sweeping ESPN layoffs have continued to leave fans wondering what the future looks like for the Worldwide Leader in Sports. In addition to firing Van Gundy and Mark Jackson, the network parted ways with many longtime staples.

From Keyshawn Johnson and Jalen Rose to Max Kellerman, ESPN's layoffs took many by surprise. In the interview, Charles Barkley gave his thoughts on the situation, questioning why the network let the NBA Finals broadcasting duo go.

As he said, if the rumors of ESPN firing Van Gundy because of his criticism of officials are true, something is terribly wrong.

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"I'm just surprised and shocked," Barkley said. "And they then let Mark go later. You hear all these rumors about the NBA was mad because Van Gundy criticized officials all the time. I'm like, wait a minute, we can't criticize officials now?

"If they're right, we pat them on the back. If they're wrong, we should be able to criticize them. And, I mean, we criticize coaches. I don't know what all the ins are, Outs is. If they fired that man, because he was critical of officiating that's a travesty and a disgrace."

With the NBA season set to tip off in October, only time will tell whether or not Van Gundy joins TNT.

(Suggested Reading: Five teams Jeff Van Gundy could coach)