Former NBA star and current NBA broadcaster Charles Barkley may have played for the Auburn Tigers, but it sounds like he’s still good friends with one prominent figure from the rival Alabama Crimson Tide: head football coach Nick Saban
During an appearance on the Paul Finebaum Show this week, Charles Barkley revealed that he considers Nick Saban a friend, opening up about how much he respects Saban and opening up about a time when Saban invited him to speak to his team about an important subject.
“He did a couple things that really made me feel proud, and I consider him a friend,” Barkley told Finebaum, according to On3. “He called me one year to talk to the team and things like that about these kids are different than us. They’ve got to deal with social media. They don’t get to screw up like we did in my day and nobody knew about it. Everything is on social media today.
“But the one thing he did that really meant a great deal to me, he called me and asked me to come speak to his young, Black players about what it’s like. Especially when all of the George Floyd things were going on. That really meant a lot to me and I’ll always be appreciative. These kids, it’s different now. They’re under so much pressure, Paul, with the TikTok, with the Instagram, the Facebook. People out there insulting them. Everybody gets together with their opinion. These kids, man, I admire them for handling the pressure.”
It may not be the most likely friendship, but it’s clear that their relationship is genuine.
[On3]
