This story is part of AL.com’s series “22 Alabamians who made a difference in 2022,” highlighting people who have made our state a better place to live this year. Stories in this series will publish each weekday during December. Find all stories in the series as they publish here, and read about the Alabamians who made a difference in 2021 by clicking here.

Charles Barkley – as a spokesperson for Nike at the time – declared almost 30 years in an iconic commercial, “I am not a role model.”

While the Nike spot opened a dialogue, which Barkley contends was the goal, you won’t find people in and around his home state of Alabama who agree with those six words he defiantly stated almost three decades ago.

Barkley’s continued philanthropic endeavors in and around the state have landed the former Auburn basketball star on AL.com’s 22 Alabamians of 2022.

The inclusion on the list makes the Leeds, Alabama native the first – and only – three-time honoree.

“I’ve been lucky and blessed, foremost,” Barkley told AL.com earlier this month. “I made an amazing run, and Alabama means a lot to me. I want to keep trying to give back to it, to be honest with you.”

Naming Barkley to the list again in 2022 is a no-brainer after the NBA legend continued his selfless giving over the past year.

In July, the NBA Hall of Famer donated $1 million to Spelman College in Atlanta. The gift was the sixth significant donation he has made to a historically Black college or university.

Barkley told AL.com in July he chose Spelman after seeing the impact the prestigious institution is having on the daughter of his friend and business partner John Hudson.

“John has been a great mentor, a great friend, and a great business partner,” Barkley told AL.com at the time. “I was ready to do another HBCU and with his daughter doing great things at Spelman, so I told him, ‘Why not there?’”

Earlier this month, Barkley told AL.com his intention to donate $1 million each to ALS research in Alabama in the name of former Auburn teammate Gary Godfrey, who was diagnosed with the disease in January 2019; and two Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs): Bethune-Cookman and Jackson State.

The kid from Leeds has done it all on the basketball court. Whether representing Auburn on the hardwood or the country as a member of the U.S. Olympic “Dream Team,” “the Round Mound of Rebound” has always been larger than life.

That personality is genuine, and it shows in his desire to give for the greater good. Barkley has never forgotten where he came from and has always made it a point to give back to state of Alabama. In fact, he has his favorite spots in his home state he tries to visit when he returns.

His donation to Spelman is the latest in a string of generous donations.

In the summer of 2021, the 1981 Leeds High School graduate gifted $1,000 to each Leeds City Schools employee. He also arranged for students to receive 200 computers and free Internet service for a year. In the same year, Barkley returned to Alabama to encourage people to get vaccinated during the COVID pandemic.

In 2020, he pledged $1 million each to Miles College in Birmingham and Tuskegee University. In 2017, he pledged $1 million to Morehouse College in Atlanta. In 2016, Barkley pledged $1 million each to Alabama A&M in Huntsville and Clark Atlanta University.

He paused when he was asked what it felt like to change people’s lives.

“I hope that’s what is happening,” Barkley said. “It’s a great feeling. Like I said, I’ve been blessed beyond my wildest expectations. When you’re growing up in Leeds, Alabama, I never thought my life was going to turn out like it is now.

“It’s been an amazing journey for me. I’m realistic. I’m almost 60 years old. I know I’m on the back 9 of life. I just want to help as many people as I can along the way.”

Mark Heim is a sports reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim.