NBA Legend Calls Out Auburn For Asking For NIL Donations

Charles Barkley loves his college, but he feels he's getting too many calls to donate to Auburn's NIL efforts.

Former Auburn basketball player Charles Barkley and Auburn Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl take the court after the game as Auburn Tigers take on USC Trojans at Neville Arena in Auburn, Ala., on Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023. Auburn Tigers defeated USC Trojans 91-75. / Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK

Charles Barkley is one of the most prominent voices in pro basketball. Every March, though, he moonlights as a studio analyst for the NCAA Tournament.

If you watch CBS and Turner Sports’ coverage of the event, you know how much he loves his alma mater, the Auburn Tigers.

In three seasons with the Tigers in the mid-1980s he was the SEC Player of the Year, a First-Team All-SEC selection, a two-time Second Team All-SEC pick, the SEC Tournament MVP and had his No. 34 retired by the program. He was also inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

The Leeds, Ala., native went on to become an 11-time NBA All-Star, an MVP and a selection to the Basketball Hall of Fame.

But even his love of his alma mater has its limits. Like many alums and donors, he’s exhausted by the constant calls from Auburn’s collective asking him for help funding initiatives to support student-athletes when it comes to Name, Image and Likeness.

“My biggest pet peeve and I’ve told them, y’all can’t call me every year asking for millions of dollars, that’s not gonna happen,” Barkley said on Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich. “Y’all need to stop. I love Auburn. I love Auburn. But the chances of me going back to black and broke again because I want Auburn to be good in football and basketball, that’s not gonna happen. I love my school, but I don’t love them that much.”

Since students-athletes were allowed to profit off NIL, donor fatigue has been documented by several news outlets. Unlike facilities projects, which usually involve one-time donations or bond issues, major programs like Auburn are finding that NIL funding requires constant maintenance, which means regular fund-raising separate from other initiatives.

And while schools aren’t raising money for their collectives, there’s no doubt they’re placing calls on the collective’s behalf.

Barkley went on to say that he has “… no idea where college sports are going. But they’re going in a bad direction.”

Barkley and other wealthy donors may have relief coming. The current House vs. NCAA settlement, once approved, will give athletic departments the opportunity to pay student-athletes directly, with a cap of $20 million.

That doesn’t mean that NIL is going away. But, it’s possible that collective efforts could be brought inside the athletic department or, at the least, augment those direct payments.

If so, then Barkley is likely to get fewer phone calls from Auburn — at least ones asking for money.