Nov. 25, 2017
By Greg Ostendorf
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" On the eve of the Iron Bowl and the unveiling of his statue outside Auburn Arena, Charles Barkley sat courtside and watched as Auburn basketball scored 119 points and beat Winthrop by 34 points (119-85) on Barkley Appreciation Night.
We caught up with the former Auburn hoops star earlier in the week to ask him about his big weekend.
Q: You're about to have your own statue at Auburn. What's that mean to you?
Barkley: I don't even have the words to justify it, to be honest with you. It's amazing, awesome, special, humbling. There are not enough words to do it justice. It's going to be pretty cool.
Q: What sticks out the most from your time at Auburn?
Barkley: Just the friendships that I made for life. As I traveled through life, I can't explain how many people say to me 'War Eagle' ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" not just around the United States but around the world also. It's amazing. We're talking about over 30 years. I'll be in a foreign country right now ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" obviously if I'm in different states, people say 'War Eagle' ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" but I've been in different countries the last 30 years and I can't tell you how many times I've heard the term 'War Eagle.'
Q: Was there a game or a moment that you remember from when you played at Auburn?
Barkley: The time we beat Kentucky at Rupp Arena and they were ranked No. 1, I think that was our first 'put Auburn basketball on the map.' Listen, I'm not stupid enough not to know that football is king. We were doing everything we could to get recognition. We were doing everything possible to get recognition on the basketball program, and we really weren't getting a lot of traction. But when we went up to Rupp Arena and beat No. 1 Kentucky, that was the turning point.
Q: What does Auburn family mean to you? How would you describe it?
Barkley: I think people who go to Auburn realize they're part of something bigger. Alabama fans like Alabama just because they're great at football. But once you go to Auburn, you realize when you're there, you really feel like you're part of a family.
Q: What have you seen from this year's team to this point?
Barkley: I'm very proud. To be able to be competitive without your two best players and with all the noise that's going on, I tip my hat off to Bruce [Pearl] and his staff. They're 3-1 (4-1 after Friday night). They're missing their two best players. And I know the noise is loud down there. You can't turn on your television or radio and not hear about it. But that tells me something about Bruce being able to get these guys to compete without all the distractions. That's not easy.
Q: What's your prediction for Saturday's Iron Bowl?
Barkley: Growing up in Alabama, it's a big deal. I'm just hoping we can win. This has been a terrific season, and I just want to keep it going. I don't want to look past the Iron Bowl, but they're two games away from making the playoffs. But I'll say it like this. Beating Alabama would be a perfect way to end my statue weekend.
Greg Ostendorf is a Senior Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @greg_ostendorf