Charles Barkley on why he chose Auburn over Alabama, UAB: ‘Best decision ever’
Charles Barkley wanted to play. Auburn gave him that opportunity. So, that’s where he went.
It sounded that simple, as he explained his college recruitment during a recent interview.
The former Auburn and NBA basketball legend appeared on the popular “All the Smoke” podcast with hosts and fellow former NBA players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson. They discussed his fractured relationship with Michael Jordan, his upbringing in Alabama and his work as an analyst for Turner Sports in his post-playing career.
“The thing that’s crazy…I wasn’t even good at basketball,” Barkley told Barnes and Jackson, explaining he had a growth spurt where he went from 5-foot-10-inches to 6-foot-5 in one year. “So nobody knew who the hell I was. I’m not on anybody’s radar. No schools are recruiting me. I’m a 5-10 backup point guard. I’m not even no good. Then it’s too late to get recruited.”
He said only Alabama, Auburn and UAB offered him a scholarship.
But he narrowed down the choices with simple criteria. “UAB’s in Birmingham, so it’s right there,” he said, referring to the distance from his hometown Leeds. “But they make it to the Sweet 16, and they’ve got everybody coming back.
“Tuscaloosa’s close. They actually make it to the Sweet 16 and got everybody coming back. A they signed the best big man in the country, who’s from Alabama, a guy named Bobby Lee Hurt and Ennis Whatley, who’s the best point guard in the country.”
That left Auburn.
“So, then I go down to Auburn,” he said. “Auburn’s lost like 12 games in a row. And I’m looking, and I’m like ‘These m———ers are awful.’”
Barkley said while sitting with a coach (presumably then-head coach Sonny Smith), he asked for a pen. “He says, ‘Oh, you’re big-time. You’re going to start signing autographs?’” Barkley recalled. “I said, ‘No, I’m signing here. I’m watching our team play. These m———-rs ain’t no good. I can play here.
“And it turned into the best decision ever, going to Auburn.”
Barkley elaborated on what helped him make the decision and said he gives the advice to young players doing the same.
“I say listen, don’t talk to me about the education part. If you want an education, you’re gonna get it,” he said. “Your number one criteria for when you’re deciding where you’re going to go to college is playing time. If you go, especially if you go way somewhere away, if you don’t get to play, it’s going to be a miserable experience. It’s going to be awful. Your schoolwork is going to suck. You’re going to be homesick.”
He also said people don’t understand the level of competition in college basketball. “Everybody can play in college,” he said, noting that high school basketball stars typically only ever play a handful of opponents with similar talent, leading to a rude awakening at the next level.
“Auburn gave me an opportunity to play,” he said. “I got to play right away as a freshman. It was three good years, and I loved it.”
Barkley played three seasons at Auburn from 1981 to 1984, averaging 14 points per game and nearly 10 rebounds a game during his college career. He was drafted fifth overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1984 NBA Draft. He also played for the Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets before retiring in 2000. He led the Suns to the NBA Finals in 1993 after winning the regular season MVP award. Barkley was an 11-time NBA All-Star and reached All-NBA status 11 times.
Since retiring, Barkley has enjoyed a hugely successful career as an analyst for Turner Sports, appearing on TNT’s “Inside the NBA” alongside host Ernie Johnson and fellow panelists Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith.
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