Hoops Broadcast Icons Dick Vitale, Charles Barkley To Pair On-Air For First Time

By Barry Janoff

December 1, 2025: Dick Vitale loves to talk. Charles Barkley loves to talk.

Both have unbounded knowledge about basketball.

This season, the two broadcast icons will be on-air together for the first time.

Using Vitale’s classic phrases, this might be called two “P.T.P”. -ers (prime-time players) in “Q.T.” (quality time) “Bringing a W” (getting a win). “N.C.” (no contest). "Awesome baby, with a capital A!"

Or as Sir Charles would say, this play is “Guar-an-teeeeeed!”

ESPN’s Vitale and TNT Sports’ Barkley, members of both the Naismith Memorial Basketball and Sports Broadcasting Halls of Fame, are first scheduled to call the Indiana at Kentucky men’s basketball game Dec. 13 on ESPN (7:30 PM. ET), with play-by-play by Dave O’Brien.

They are then scheduled to reunite in March to call their first NCAA Div. I Men’s Basketball Tournament game as part of TNT Sports and CBS Sports’ First Four coverage, with the date TBD.

According to ESPN, “The unique pairing combines Vitale’s beloved energy, storytelling, catchphrases and more than four decades of experience with Barkley’s unmistakable authenticity, humor and candid insight.”

“Dick and Charles are two of the most entertaining and iconic voices in basketball, so having them together on the same broadcast is a true gift for fans,” Burke Magnus, ESPN president of content., said via the network.

“We are thrilled to have it come to fruition, especially for a marquee college basketball rivalry game like Indiana-Kentucky in primetime on ESPN.”

Vitale joined ESPN's college basketball coverage in 1979.

CBS and TNT Sports hold the rights to the NCAA Men’s tournament, so although Vitale has called more than 1,000 games, he has never called a men's March Madness tournament game, according to ESPN.

“This is a unique opportunity for Dick and Charles, two of the biggest personalities in the game to be side-by-side calling games for the first time,” Craig Barry, TNT Sports evp and chief content officer, said via the network. 

“This is great for the game and the fans, we can’t wait to see what unfolds.”

This season, ESPN began airing Inside the NBA, long a mainstay of TNT Sports league coverage, which it lost under new NBA media deals. That presented the opportunity for Barkley to appear on other ESPN broadcasts.

Barkley an award-winning analyst, has been on Inside the NBA for 25 years, featured alongside host Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith. Barkley and the others have worked men’s March Madness games as part of the CBS-TNT Sports alliance.

“Dick has meant so much to the game of basketball, and we have long felt he deserved an opportunity to call an NCAA Men’s Tournament game, and we are delighted he has finally agreed following several offers,” Harold Bryant,  CBS Sports executive producer and evp-production, said via the network.
 
“Having him call the game with Charles will be must-see TV and a great way to tip off the First Four.”

According to CBS Sports, “Vitale's presence in the booth is particularly notable given his recent health journey. The Hall of Fame broadcaster, 86, revealed in September that he is currently cancer-free following a PET scan.

"Over the past four years, Vitale has faced multiple diagnoses, including melanoma, lymphoma and laryngeal cancer, each successfully treated."

This past May, ESPN signed Vitale to a contract extension through the 2027-28 season.

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