Charles Barkley is without a question the greatest Auburn alumni to grace the NBA.
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Barkley played for Auburn for three years from 1981-1984 before entering the NBA’s draft process. Chuck was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers and went on to be one of the best power forwards to ever play the game of basketball.
Sir Charles had a successful collegiate career averaging 14 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game. Scouts were certain that Barkley’s game would translate to the league upon his declaration to enter the NBA draft in 1984.
This attracted agents from across the nation to Barkley. Player representation is a competitive game. Identifying the stars of the future and associating with them early makes or breaks an agent’s career.
And at Barkley’s time, entities like Klutch sports did not exist or hold a major part of the market. Individual agents ruled the game and Chuck was an in-demand prospect.
A college student is often in need of financial assistance. Recognition of this fact means that agents do invest in these college stars and provide financial aid in hope of signing them for the future.
Chuck was at the receiving end of such offers and admits to having taken up some money too.
Why did Charles Barkley accept money from agents?
The Chuckster might be worth millions now, but that wasn’t always the case. Barkley admitted to having taken some money from agents and claimed that it helped him stay in school longer.
Chuck also credits such offers to have helped him do stuff for his family and ease the financial burden on them. The financial pressure that comes with education has forced many a prospect to commit to the pros early. This has led to a lot of careers ending prematurely, a trend which should be bucked.
Barkley claims to have presented the issue with the NCAA himself. Promoting the rights of student-athletes to make a living has been a much-debated issue. Charles Barkley sure has assisted the cause.
When asked what the highest sum he ever took was, Chuckster revealed it to be a figure around $20,000. As one knows, Chuck could have signed with only one agent, but admits to having taken money from multiple. Barkley however reportedly paid them back once he started earning the big NBA bucks.
The tide seems to be changing with collegiate players able to commercialize their persona. Such revelations from legends like Barkley sure have had an impact on the movement.
