Charles Barkley doubles down on his stance regarding NIL contributions to Auburn
Charles Barkley doubles down on his stance regarding NIL contributions to Auburn Barkley remains opposed to donating money to Auburn's NIL fund. However, he donates in many other ways.
Last week, Auburn basketball legend and NBA Hall-of-Famer Charles Barkley made a stunning statement regarding Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) and his decision to contribute to his alma mater's fund in an effort to build the most talented roster in the country.
Wednesday, Barkley doubled down on his stance of being against sending money to Auburn for that reason. On Wednesday's episode of McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning on Jox 94.5 FM in Birmingham, Barkley says that he still plans to donate money to his alma mater, just as he always has.
'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."
Although his decision not to contribute to Auburn's NIL efforts is concerning to several fans, Barkley ensures that he will remain a heavy donor to Auburn University.
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!'
Barkley's initial comments were shared during an episode of the "Don't @ Me" podcast with Dan Dakich, where he mentioned that he would rather donate money to noteworthy charities such as "Blight" and to HBCUs. However, he clarified his intent to continue giving money to Auburn for other areas not including NIL, doing so in a hilarious way.
Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
37 minutes ago
- USA Today
Don't worry about NBA Finals TV ratings. Appreciate Pacers-Thunder for what it is.
OKLAHOMA CITY — The email hit my inbox with the subject line 'Will viewers watch Pacers-Thunder?' The headline in the newsletter from Front Office Sports: 'History shows Pacers vs. Thunder may draw record-low ratings.' It's not the first time and won't be the last time that TV ratings accompany a discussion of this season's NBA Finals between Indiana and Oklahoma City. The small-market matchup has generated this idea that there isn't or won't be interest. The NBA biosphere seems to thrive on debate and criticism with an emphasis on how some aspect of the game isn't good enough and can be better. The reflexive contempt for teams not from the coasts or bigger markets is odd. It's not my job to sell this series. That's on the NBA and its TV partner, Disney's ABC, which is televising the Finals, with Game 1 on Thursday, June 5, at 8:30 p.m. ET. There are factors outside of the NBA and ABC's control. A short, lopsided and uncompetitive series can have an impact regardless of the teams playing. But this is a series that features this season's MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Thunder, three All-Stars in Gilgeous-Alexander, teammate Jalen Williams and Indiana's Pascal Siakam. Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton was an All-Star in 2023 and 2024 and is playing like an All-Star in the playoffs. Both teams are deep, play hard offensively and defensively and have tremendous coaches. Neither spent outlandishly, incurring millions in luxury taxes. In fact, neither will pay a luxury tax this season. They emerged as the two best teams in the league ‒ rosters assembled with a savvy eye on making the parts fit. The matchup should be celebrated and appreciated. The Pacers and Thunder are on the cutting edge of today's NBA. They play pressure defense, try to dictate a fast pace and have the versatility to go 10-deep. It's exactly what fans of basketball should want. The NBA is in an era that fans should embrace. It's not the same teams and same players season after season. It's not the teams with the deepest pockets getting to the Finals all the time. Young, talented players are exposed to a wider audience. The Thunder have been the best team in the NBA all season and combining regular-season and playoff victories, they have won 80 games in 2024-25. Since Jan. 1, the Pacers have been one of the best teams in the league. The two fan bases are unique given the teams' locations and relationships to the communities. The Thunder are the only major pro sports team in the city, and basketball's hallowed place in the heart of Indiana culture is well known. "I understand that there would be concern for how many people would watch because they're smaller markets," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "But if we're celebrating the game and we're putting the game above all, which is one of the things that Adam Silver said when he became commissioner, then it really shouldn't matter. … "So I know that we're going to do our very best to represent our city, our state at the best possible level. Thunder will do the same. This really hopefully is about the quality of the games. We got our work cut out for us there." If that's not compelling enough to get your interest, that's a you problem as much as anything. The Venn diagram of people who complain about the same teams and players getting to the Finals and complain about small-market teams in the Finals is probably close to a single circle. For the seventh consecutive season, the NBA will have a different champion, and this is the sixth consecutive Finals without a team that was in the Finals the previous season. This parity is not the result of one thing, but the NBA's collective-bargaining agreement with the players was designed to foster competitive balance. The CBA has teeth to it – mechanisms that make it more difficult for deep-pocketed teams to stack rosters. Those mechanisms are financially punitive and limit roster additions because of salary cap restrictions. In today's NBA, the Golden State Warriors would not have been able to add Kevin Durant to a roster with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green – without parting ways with Thompson or Green. Ahead of the 2023 CBA, the Boston Celtics built a roster featuring Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White and Kristaps Porzingis, and they are projected to pay nearly $240 million in luxury taxes and $230 million in salary – that's approaching nearly half a billion dollars, and that's why there is much discussion about the Celtics shedding salary and reducing their financial burden ahead of next season. In theory and practice, it leads to a greater distribution among more teams. This is what NBA owners – as a collective – wanted when they agreed to the CBA. It will be interesting to hear what Silver says about this Finals matchup when he meets with the media before Game 1. Regardless of ratings, the NBA has capitalized on multi-year TV deals. The NBA is wrapping up a nine-year, $24 billion deal, and the NBA embarks on a new TV deal next season that includes Amazon and NBC in addition to ESPN/ABC that is worth nearly $76 billion over 11 years. Silver has been agnostic on the topic of big-market teams vs. small-market teams winning titles. "As long as we can create something close to a level playing field in terms of the tools available to teams to compete, I'm absolutely fine with dynasties and I'm fine with new teams emerging every year," Silver said nearly a year ago. 'What the fans want to see is great competition. And for fans of whatever team they're rooting for, they want to believe that their team, regardless of the size of the market or the depth of the pockets of ownership, are in a position to compete in the same way the 29 other teams are." You can't force anyone to watch. Maybe it's a great Finals, maybe it's not. But dismissing the series before it begins means missing out on watching teams who envisioned how to win in today's NBA and made it happen. Follow NBA columnist Jeff Zillgitt on social media @JeffZillgitt .
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Former NMSU basketball star Pascal Siakam ready for NBA Finals
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Former New Mexico State basketball forward Pascal Siakam is ready for the 2025 NBA Finals. Siakam, an impact player for the Indiana Pacers, will play in the NBA Finals for a second time in his professional basketball career. Advertisement Siakam and the Pacers will take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2025 NBA Finals. Last time Siakam played in the NBA Finals was in 2019. The product out of Cameroon helped lift the Toronto Raptors to a championship series win over the Golden State Warriors to become NBA champions. Siakam is back in the NBA Finals, this time with the Pacers, an organization that is making its first NBA Finals appearance since 2000. Siakam, who played at New Mexico State from 2013-2016, has the chance to become a two-time NBA champion. Siakam and the Pacers will begin the 2025 NBA Finals on the road. Game one is being held at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK on Thursday. Tipoff is at 6:30 p.m. MT. The game will air on ABC. Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
Indianapolis Star
2 hours ago
- Indianapolis Star
Some folks unhappy about backed-up traffic downtown because of free 'Yes'Cers' giveaway
While thousands waited in line for their 'Yes'Cers' swag bags downtown, many took to social media to complain about the wait and the traffic jam the Pacers giveaway caused during rush hour. Major intersections gridlocked as drivers in quest of the Pacers gear formed a one-lane traffic flow to the South Pennsylvania Street side of Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Pacers organization gave out 5,000 swag bags to people in their cars from 4 to 7 p.m. on June 4 one day before the first game of the NBA finals in Oklahoma City. By 7 p.m., all the bags were gone. Some people managed to walk up and snag a gift bag, but Pacers Sports & Entertainment officials said they stopped that practice to make sure people waiting inside their vehicles in line had a chance. Just under two hours into the giveaway, officials said they had 2,000 bags left. Users online shared their frustrations that hosting the event during rush hour traffic was a bad idea and interfered with rush hour traffic even for commuters who had no interest in acquiring a bag.
