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The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 5:55 a.m., Tuesday, February 17, 2009

NBA: Barkley to return from leave on Thursday

Associated Press

Charles Barkley will return from his leave of absence and be back on the air Thursday night during TNT's NBA coverage.

Barkley was arrested Dec. 31 in Scottsdale, Ariz., and his leave began Jan. 9. Police said the 45-year-old NBA Hall of Famer had a blood-alcohol level nearly twice the legal limit in Arizona.

Barkley, a TNT studio analyst, was forced to miss the network's coverage of All-Star weekend in Phoenix.

"From the beginning, Charles recognized that he used poor judgment. He took full responsibility and apologized for his actions," Turner Sports president David Levy said in a statement today.

Barkley will be back to offer his opinions of Thursday's trade deadline, as well as TNT's doubleheader coverage of San Antonio-Detroit and Boston-Utah.