Auburn alum Charles Barkley publicly thanks Nick Saban for retiring from Alabama
Charles Barkley is a legendary figure in basketball and a proud member of the Auburn family and alum. So, perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising that he recently publicly thanked former Alabama head football coach Nick Saban for retiring from coaching.
“Hey, ‘Thank you, Coach Saban. Thank you for retiring. You’re the greatest coach ever. Thank you for retiring. You should’ve come to the party we had down at Auburn,'” Barkley said.
It happened while Barkley was making an appearance on CNN’s The Source, where he spoke to anchor Kaitlan Collins, who is a noted Alabama graduate and Crimson Tide fan. Together, they talked about the bracket as a whole, with Barkley calling it the second most special event he’s been a part of, after the Olympics.
That, in turn prompted Collins to joke about Auburn’s lack of postseason success in football compared to Alabama. However, Barkley was quick to respond, thanking Saban for retiring and pointing out that he doesn’t think the Crimson Tide will have similar success moving forward.
You can watch Barkley and Collins talk about the NCAA Tournament and trade shots over the Alabama-Auburn rivalry, here:
The video begins with Barkley talking about his Auburn Tigers, explaining, “We’re gonna be Yale. We always beat the smart kids.” After that, he explained that UConn is the real test for Auburn, even though Collins has them losing to San Diego State before getting that chance.
Shortly after that, Collins wants to turn the attention to Alabama, looking to see what Barkley thinks of her team, which she has making a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
“Can we talk about how I did for Alabama? Because, obviously, I have them going further than the average bear would. That’s because I’m completely biased in their favor. So, I have them beating Saint Mary’s.”
However, Barkley disagrees, and has the Crimson Tide losing in the Round of 32 to a talented Saint Mary’s team.
“I don’t think [so]. In my bracket, I have them losing to Saint Mary’s. Saint Mary’s has been one of the best kept secrets in college basketball for the last 10-15 years. They just couldn’t beat Gonzaga and they finally beat them this year…But also, Alabama’s got a bunch of little dudes out there running around shooting threes.”
Collins did admit, “Our defense is terrible.” Except, that’s not the biggest issue for Barkley. He’s concerned that Alabama is too small and won’t intimidate a mid-major like Saint Mary’s.
“Yes, but also they won’t be intimidating. Because what people don’t understand, the difference in a lot of these schools is size. A lot of guys know some of these smaller schools don’t have two or three guys that are six-nine, six-10, somewhere in that range. So, Saint Mary’s won’t be physically intimidated going against Alabama. So, that’s a huge advantage for Saint Mary’s.”
Whether or not Barkley is right about Alabama’s chances remains to be seen. However, he is an expert when it comes to basketball and has experience in the NCAA Tournament. He even explained that it’s the second best sporting event he’s been a part of, after the Olympics. That’s, in large part, because one game is all it takes to win an upset and there’s pride in an individual’s school.
“If this was football, Alabama would be heavily favored over Saint Mary’s, but they’re not,” Barkley said.
With the College Football Playoff expanding, it will be interesting to see if there’s ever an Iron Bowl that could eliminate one team or the other. For now, though, it’s March and the earliest these two rivals could potentially play is in the Final Four.