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Charles Barkley explains why he doesn’t donate to Auburn’s NIL fund
By Ethan Stone
Published:
Charles Barkley has made it clear that he’s passionate about Auburn athletics. The former Auburn basketball star is one of the most recognized Tigers of all time and makes a point to shout out his alma mater at any given opportunity on air.
But on Thursday morning, Barkley made an interesting point when asked about his philosophy when it comes to donating funds to college athletics in its current NIL format. While making an appearance on the Dan Dakich show, Barkley insisted that he would rather his money go towards HBCUs or house-building programs than to kids playing college football or basketball.
Barkley specifically mentioned that he’s not against players being paid, but he just doesn’t see how his investing in Auburn athletics is a good return on investment. And his point makes sense – the big bucks for college basketball go to one-and-done talents or players out of the transfer portal – usually with only 1 or potentially 2 years of eligibility remaining.
“I’m not opposed to players getting paid, I want to make that clear,” Barkley said. “But, this notion we gotta give college kids tens of millions of dollars a year, and basketball is the worst because you’re only gonna get a great player for six months. I don’t even see how you’re gonna get the return on investment.”
Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.
