Auburn legend Charles Barkley said Thursday that current Tigers star Johni Broome has a chance to be the greatest player in program history … including Charles Barkley.

Broome — the SEC Player of the Year and a first-team All-American — was featured in an on-air segment on CBS previewing Auburn’s first-round NCAA tournament matchup with Alabama State on Thursday. Barkley responded to the feature, noting that Broome has the potential to take the Tigers where they’ve never been before — a national championship.

“If he can finish the journey, I would say he’s the greatest player in Auburn basketball history,” Barkley said. “I truly mean that. What he’s done for the program, him and Coach (Bruce) Pearl and those guys, has been incredible. But if they could win the national championship, it’d be great.

“And I would say this, I said when they made it to the Final Four (in 2019), that’s the greatest season in Auburn basketball history. If he’s able to win the championship, I’d say he’s the greatest player in Auburn basketball (history). He’s better than me in college.”

While fellow CBS studio host Kenny Smith joked that Barkley was an “overweight point guard” during his college days, Sir Charles’ credentials are pretty unassailable. The Leeds native averaged 14.1 points and 9.6 rebounds in three years at Auburn, earning SEC Player of the Year and third-team All-America honors as a junior in 1984 before embarking on a Hall-of-Fame NBA career.

Broome, meanwhile, has averaged 16.1 points and 9.4 rebounds per game in three seasons at Auburn. Since transferring from Murray State in 2022, the Florida native has been a three-time All-SEC pick, SEC Tournament MVP, a first-team All-American and is among the favorites for every major national player of the year award this season.