Image: Mitchell Layton/ Getty Images.
TNT co-host Charles Barkley is committing to do his part after the Supreme Court ruled to strike down affirmative action. The NBA legend has announced he will amend his will to bequeath $5 million to Auburn University, his alma mater, to establish scholarships for Black students.
“In my will, I am leaving Auburn $5 million,” Barkley said. “I’m going to change it to be just for scholarships for Black students. That’s just my way of trying to make sure Auburn stays diverse.”
Per the university’s data, Black student enrollment was 5.3 percent in 2020 but dropped to 4.91% in the fall of 2022.
Initially, Barkley planned to leave an endowment to his alma mater for any economically disadvantaged student, but will specifically change it to be earmarked for Black students to foster diversity within Auburn’s student body.
“I love Auburn. I’ve actually changed it to be used for kids from poor homes. But after that ruling, my phone was blowing up. I was talking to my friends and said, ‘I need to make sure Black folks always have a place at Auburn,'” Charles Barkley added. “So, I’m gonna change my will and make it exclusive for Black students—all $5 million. For me, it’s the right thing to do. I always want to make sure that Auburn’s diverse.”
This is the latest example of the Inside the NBA co-host’s generosity when it comes to Black students. Last year, he donated $1 million to Spelman College after being inspired by his business partner’s daughter.
“John [Hudson] has been a great mentor, a great friend, and a great business partner,” Barkley shared about his decision to donate to Spelman. “I was ready to do another HBCU and with his daughter doing great things at Spelman, so I told him, ‘Why not there?’”