Charles Barkley to donate $1 million to Tuskegee University

By Keisha J Kelley

November 2, 2020

NBA Hall of Famer and former Auburn star Charles Barkley is donating $1 million to Tuskegee University.

He had not yet informed university president Lily McNair of the donation. In May 2018, McNair became Tuskegee’s eighth president and the first woman to hold the position.

The gift is Barkley’s fifth major donation to a historically black college.

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

Barkley chose Tuskegee for his next HBCU donation, in part, because it is the hometown for former Auburn teammate and “great” friend Greg Turner.

“I was ready to make my next move and had promised Greg I’d choose Tuskegee,” Barkley said Monday.

Also, Tuskegee is also located just a few miles from Auburn, so Barkley is familiar with the school and its significant history. “I’ve been there a million times,” he said.

The gift is unrestricted, but Barkley says he hopes it goes to academic scholarships.