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Charles Barkley delivers unexpected compliment to Kalen DeBoer, Alabama

by: Alex Byington05/14/25_AlexByington

Kalen DeBoer has been at Alabama for more than a full year, and has even been through two Springs leading the Crimson Tide after replacing the retired Nick Saban in mid-January 2024. Still, there was one uniquely-Alabama encounter DeBoer had yet to experience: meeting noted Auburn alum Charles Barkley.

Thankfully, the second-year Tide head coach was able to finally cross that special Iron Bowl convergence off his bucket list Wednesday during a brief but collegial meeting during the Regions Tradition Pro-Am event in Birmingham. Barkley even managed some kind words about Alabama’s football program in the process.

“Welcome to Alabama,” Barkley told DeBoer after some friendly banter, according to AL.com’s Patrick Greenfield. “Hey, listen, … I can’t say it loud, but you have a great program. Continued success.”

DeBoer: “Appreciate that. Appreciate you.”

Despite the traditionally bitter Iron Bowl rivalry between both fan bases, Barkley — the famed former Auburn forward who’d go on to make his name as “the Round Mound of Rebound” in the NBA before transitioning into a beloved media figure — has maintained a downright cordial relationship with Alabama’s head football coaches. That included Barkley’s longstanding friendship and unabashed appreciation for Saban, who won six of his NCAA-record seven national championships over 17 years in Tuscaloosa.

Now, Barkley has officially passed the olive branch to DeBoer.

Charles Barkley is among Auburn‘s most beloved and well-known alumni, but even “the Round Mound of Rebound” draws the line when it comes to name, image and likeness (NIL). Especially as it pertains to his personal contribution to the Tigers’ NIL collective.

In a time when Power Four conference programs are making bigger and bigger asks of their wealthy alumnus to support their school’s NIL collective, the former NBA superstar and longtime NBA on TNT analyst has put his foot down. Barkley defended himself against any potential criticism by claiming he’s “given more money to Auburn, legal or illegal, than any other athlete in the history of the school.”

“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,” Barkley said Wednesday on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning on WJOX-FM from the Regions Pro-Am in Birmingham, according to CBS Sports’ Mike Rodak.

“One thing I’m pretty sure of, Black and broke don’t work, in any municipality in the world. I’ve been rich for a long time. I plan to stay that way. But the notion that I’m going to give Auburn millions of dollars every year so we can be good at sports, that’s just not going to happen. 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!”