Charles Barkley is an Auburn Tigers legend. The former No. 2 overall pick in the NBA Draft was fantastic at Auburn and went on to have a 16-year Hall of Fame NBA Career.
If you know anything about Barkley, you know he is still a die-hard Tigers fan and roots for them in every sport. However, it would appear that Barkley limits the amount of money he is willing to give his former university.
Charles Barkley Reflects on His Support for Auburn Athletics
It’s no secret that college athletic departments need money in the age of NIL and frequently ask alumni like Barkley for donations. While Barkley said he’s willing to give, he is unhappy about the sheer amount of money Auburn is asking for.
On McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning, a Birmingham radio show, Barkley reflected on his past donations to Auburn, saying, “I’ve given more money to Auburn, legal or illegal, than any athlete in the history of the school.”
Charles Barkley to @macandcube: “I’ve given more money to Auburn, legal or illegal, than any athlete in the history of the school. And the notion that I’m going to come up with a couple million dollars every year so that we can be good at basketball and football — that’s the…
— Mike Rodak (@mikerodak) May 14, 2025
While Barkley outright admits that he’s illegally donated to Auburn in the past is objectively hilarious, he’s making a valid point about what schools expect from their better-off alumni. Chuck went on to say that while he’s wealthy, he finds the notion of donating millions of dollars to his alma mater ridiculous.
“One thing I’m pretty sure of, ‘Black and broke don’t work, in any municipality in the world.’ I’ve been rich for a long time. I plan to stay that way. But the notion that I’m going to give Auburn millions of dollars every year so we can be good at sports, that’s just not going to happen.”
In this current era of massive NIL deals seemingly running college athletics, we’ve seen many wealthy donors stepping in to “convince” prospects of coming to their schools. Larry Ellison, the former CEO of Oracle, reportedly played a big role in getting QB commit Bryce Underwood to Michigan, including providing a sizeable amount of NIL money.
Elsewhere, we’re seeing famous alumni, such as Stanford’s hiring of Andrew Luck as GM and basketball’s Steph Curry with his alma mater Davidson, as power moves where influential figures would have the opportunity to financially assist recruiting.
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Whatever you might think about NIL, Barkley has provided a unique perspective into the eyes of an alumnus who is being pushed to support his former university. It’s not only hard to navigate for the players and coaching staff, but also for the alumni.
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