Charles Barkley is among Auburn‘s most beloved and well-known alumni, but even “the Round Mound of Rebound” draws the line when it comes to name, image and likeness (NIL). Especially as it pertains to his personal contribution to the Tigers’ NIL collective.
In a time when Power Four conference programs are making bigger and bigger asks of their wealthy alumnus to support their school’s NIL collective, the former NBA superstar and longtime NBA on TNT analyst has put his foot down. Barkley defended himself against any potential criticism by claiming he’s “given more money to Auburn, legal or illegal, than any other athlete in the history of the school.”
“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 stupidest thing I’ve ever heard,” Barkley said Wednesday on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning on WJOX-FM from the Regions Pro-Am in Birmingham, according to CBS Sports’ Mike Rodak.
“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. I’m really proud of what I’ve given Auburn and I’m going to continue to give them money, but I’m not going to give them millions of dollars every year so we can be good at sports. That’s just stupid. People will be talking about me behind my back. ‘How did that guy go broke? How did he lose all that money?’ Because y’all wanted to be good at sports, fool!”
As two of the most prominent NBA voices over the past decade-plus, Charles Barkley and Stephen A. Smith have been friends for years. Which is why the outspoken NBA on TNT analyst has no qualms telling the ESPN firebrand to knock off his recent presidential-like media tour, which included a brief appearance as a slain sports agent in last week’s Law & Order episode.
“You know, Stephen A.’s a friend of mine but he needs to stop right now,” Barkley told OutKick’s Dan Dakich last week on his Don’t @ Me podcast. “I don’t go on a bunch of shows. Less is more. Because the more you do, the less people take you serious. And I don’t feel the need to grab every dime at my disposal. Like, I’ve been arguing with my agent. He says, ‘We can do five to seven commercials a year.’ I said, ‘We’re going to do two commercials a year — that’s it.’ I don’t want to be on TV all the time. I get sick of seeing myself doing March Madness. … I don’t do a bunch of TV stuff, because people get sick of you. That’s my No. 1 thing. People will get sick of you.”
Smith, who reportedly signed a $100 million extension with ESPN earlier this year, has become a regular in the political realm since floating the idea of running for president in 2028. That has included multiple hits on news networks FOX, CNN and even NewsNation. That’s in addition to his daily appearances on ESPN with First Take and NBA Today, as well as his recurring role as “Brick” on General Hospital.
“I mean, he’s already on General Hospital. Now, he’s going to be on Law and Order tonight. I was just laughing. I’m like, ‘Yo, man, you’re starting to be too much right now,’” Barkley continued. “Like, you’re going to be on CNN, you’re going to be on Fox and Friends, you’re on General Hospital, now you’re on Law and Order. I’m like, ‘Yo, man, knock it off. Stop being on every TV show.’
“Because at some point, people are going to get sick of you, and you’re going to be like, ‘Yeah, I probably did too much,’” Barkley added. “But once you do too much, it’s too late. And then people don’t take you seriously. And I think he’s gotta be careful in that aspect.”
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