Showing posts with label Charles Barkley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Charles Barkley. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 12, 2022

NBA star Charles Barkley announces $1 million donation to Spelman College

NBA legend Charles Barkley is known for his generous donations and a metro Atlanta university is his latest recipient.

Spelman College will receive $1 million donation from Barkley.

Officials told Channel 2 Action News that they have not received the donation yet but say they look forward to coordinating with Barkley.

“Charles Barkley’s $1 million gift to Spelman College comes at a significant time as we continue to close education and wealth inequality for Black families and maintain affordable education opportunities for women of African descent,” Spelman president Dr. Helene Gayle said.

“As one of the country’s leading engines of social mobility and the nation’s leading HBCU, this generous gift will help build upon Spelman’s legacy of developing the next generation of leaders.”

Barkley says he chose Spelman because his friend and business partner’s daughter attends the historically Black college.

“John has been a great mentor, a great friend, and a great business partner,” Barkley told AL.com. “I was ready to do another HBCU and with his daughter doing great things at Spelman, so I told him, ‘Why not there?’”

Barkley previously donated $1 million to Morehouse College in 2017.

[SOURCE: WSBTV]

Wednesday, May 19, 2021

Charles Barkley giving $1K to each employee of Alabama school district

NBA legend Charles Barkley is giving $1,000 to every employee of the school system in his Alabama hometown.

The Leeds County school system released a statement announcing the donation on Facebook:

Through the years, the Leeds School System has been fortunate to have the support of its biggest fan and most famous graduate, Charles Barkley, Class of 1981. Over the past three decades, Charles has quietly and without any attention drawn to himself, provided over $3million in scholarships to Leeds graduates, funds that have helped hundreds of students attend college. Charles has also been a huge supporter of both the boys and girls basketball programs at Leeds High--he's even known to show up occasionally to cheer on the Greenwave.

Now, during the Covid-19 pandemic, Leeds' favorite son has come to the rescue again. Charles has secured laptops for virtual learners, Wifi hotspots, and donations from Clorox Corporation to help the Leeds staff keep the facilities sanitary as we fight the pandemic this year.

We are humbled and wish to express our sincere gratitude to Charles Barkley for providing a $1,000 gift to each and every Leeds City Schools employee for going the extra mile this school year. Being a school employee is tough, but driving a bus, teaching, coaching, or working in the cafeteria, all while maintaining safety protocols, has been a daunting task during a worldwide pandemic. Although it's been challenging, the Leeds staff has persevered and we can now see the light at the end of the tunnel. We are beyond thankful to know our hometown hero and benefactor, Charles Barkley, recognizes the hard work and dedication of the Leeds staff, even under the toughest of circumstances. Thank you, Charles!

Thursday, March 12, 2020

Charles Barkley calls for cancellation of NCAA Basketball Tournament

CBS March Madness analyst and NBA great Charles Barkley appeared on ESPN's "Get Up" and called for the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament due to the Coronavirus outbreak.

...I'm gonna say this and I'm probably going to get in trouble because I work for Turner, March Madness and CBS. I think Turner Sports and CBS need to close down March Madness, man...Because, even if there's no fans in the stands, you can't have these players breathing on each other for two weeks. Even if they had a hotel, they're going to be in different cities around the country. I hate to say it...like I said, I probably shouldn't say it because I work for CBS, I think we’re going to have to shut down March Madness until we know more."

As of right now, the NCAA men's and women's Division I basketball tournaments will be played without spectators. The men's tournament will be played in 14 cities.

Wednesday, January 08, 2020

Charles Barkley donates $1 million to HBCU, Miles College

NBA Hall of Famer and Auburn alum Charles Barkley making a huge donation to Miles College.

Miles head football coach and Athletic Director Reginald Ruffin says Sir Charles donated $1 million to the college in Fairfield.

It’s the single largest gift by a donor of $1 Million in Miles College’s 122 years.

Barkley was the donor of this large historic gift made under the helm of President Bobbie Knight, Interim President of Miles College and first woman in history to lead the historic institution.

“It’s great that Mr. Barkley thinks enough of Miles College to donate a million dollars. This gift lays the foundation to launch our $100 million dollar comprehensive campaign,” said President Bobbie Knight, Interim President of Miles College.

“I’ve gotten to know Bobbie Knight over the last year and it was something I really wanted to do,” said Barkley. “To have a female president is a big deal. I want to help Bobbie be as successful as she can be.”

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Charles Barkley apologizes to Axios reporter Alexi McCammond for 'hit women' comment

Axios political reporter Alexi McCammond made it known via Twitter that during an off the record discussion about politics that NBA great Charles Barkley had made a very inappropriate comment about hitting women to her.

Charles Barkley has issued an apology for his comments to the Axios political reporte through the Turner Sports Pr Department:

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Charles Barkley: democrats take black votes for granted

During an interview Michael Smerconish SiriusXM radio show NBA legend Charles Barkley argued the Democratic party enjoys overwhelming support from African Americans but takes their votes for granted.

Listen to Barkley's comments below:

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Philadelphia 76ers honor Charles Barkley with a statue

76ers alumni flooded the Complex Friday to witness Charles Barkley taking his place as the eighth Sixer to be immortalized with a statue on Legends Walk.

The celebration began with remarks from 76ers Co-Managing Partners Josh Harris and David Blitzer, General Manager Elton Brand, President Chris Heck, Barkley’s former coach and Hall of Famer Billy Cunningham, Head Coach Brett Brown, Play-by-Play Broadcaster Marc Zumoff, and Sir Charles himself.

“When you grow up in Leeds, Alabama, in the projects, and all these 56 years later, you’re standing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and you’ve had this amazing journey, all you can really say is thank you,” Barkley said.

During his remarks, Barkley recalled the adversity he faced en route to his illustrious career.

“People always said, ‘He’s undersized,’” Barkley said. “To all the small power forwards and short guards out there -- you can still get your thing done.”

That very spirit seems to have rubbed off on another player who was coming up through the ranks during Barkley’s prime.

“[Barkley] showed me -- It’s not the height, it’s the size of your heart, your will, and your passion to go get it and to compete at the highest level,” Brand said, calling Barkley “someone I looked up to and emulated in my game every day.”

Aside from inspiring young players nationwide, Barkley also managed to become an 11-time All Star, an 11-time All-NBA selection, the 1992-93 MVP, and two-time Olympic gold medalist before getting enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

Today, when Barkley’s not busy voicing NBA broadcasts on TNT, he spends his summers back in the city which drafted him in 1984.

“Man, Philadelphia. What an amazing city,” Barkley said. “My heart will always be here in Philadelphia.”

“He was a massive presence on the court,” Heck said. “What you don’t see is what Charles contributed off the court. He is still very much part of the community in a way that is iconic.”

The sculpture, commissioned by sculptor Chad Fisher, now becomes a permanent fixture in the lives of today’s Sixers.

Brown said he nods the club’s rich history every day when entering the facility, hoping his players do the same.

Considering the statues on Legends Walk and the banners hanging above the court, Brown said, “[It’s] truly breathtaking.”

[SOURCE: NBA.COM/SIXERS]

Sunday, November 26, 2017

Charles Barkley: Roy Moore Bringing in Steve Bannon Should Have Disqualified Him

Before going to watch the Iron Bowl between Auburn University and Alabama, Charles Barkley weighed in on the Alabama Senate race today and said Roy Moore should have been disqualified even before the allegations against him from multiple women came out. Watch that video below:

Monday, August 01, 2016

Charles Barkley to host show on race titled 'Race Card'

NBA legend and Inside the NBA analyst Charles Barkley has had enough. The America that he knew has lost its way, becoming mired in partisan politics, social divides and entrenched corporate interests. Now he hopes to get to the root of the problem in the new limited-run series The Race Card. TNT has ordered six hour-long episodes of the show, with plans to launch in early 2017.

In The Race Card, Charles Barkley wants to bust up the echo chamber mentality that so often has people retreating to corners of the like-minded, where views are reinforced and ideas are distorted into angry, unexamined groupthink conclusions. Each week, Barkley will take on the rapidly calcifying positions around today’s hot-button topics. He will seek out the sharpest and most varied viewpoints from today’s cultural leaders and tastemakers. He will then challenge and probe those ideas, even trying them out on himself.

No idea presented on The Race Card will be left in the abstract. Barkley will put ideas on their feet, with real-world proof-of-concept tests that will engage people and expose the truth behind their closely held beliefs. In the end, Barkley will reach his own conclusions guided only by his own wits and common-sense wisdom.

"We as Americans never discuss the issue of race in this country and how it impacts everything in our lives until something bad happens," Barkley said. "I see this project as a way to talk about race, class and cultural differences and challenge everyone's status quo."

The Race Card is a Studio T production in association with DocShop Inc. and Kin Studios. Studio T is Turner's in-house studio which produces and owns original content airing on TNT and TBS. Serving as executive producers on The Race Card are Charles Barkley, Lee Gaither, Marc Perman and Emmy® winner Dan Partland (Intervention), who oversaw the acclaimed documentary series The Sixties for TNT's sister network CNN.

Saturday, June 06, 2015

CHARLES BARKLEY ANNOUNCES A $1 MILLION PLEDGE TO MOREHOUSE COLLEGE

[SOURCE] Basketball legend, Charles Barkley recently announced his intention to make a $1,000,000 gift to Morehouse College. In that same announcement he pledged similar support to Auburn University (his Alma Mater) and the Wounded Warrior project.

The gift to Morehouse will benefit the College’s burgeoning Journalism and Sports Program (JSP) that was initiated in 2007. Since its inception, this program has sent 31 of its students into the media workforce, while an additional 15 have earned master’s degrees in journalism or related fields, including six at Columbia University.

Currently, nearly 65% of professional football players and 80% of professional basketball players are black; yet only 6% of newspaper sports journalists are African American. In response to this phenomenon, JSP was conceived by veteran filmmaker and Morehouse alumnus Spike Lee and his friend, the late Ralph Wiley, one of the nation’s first African American sports columnists.

JSP’s Director, Ron Thomas, joyfully reacted to this surprise announcement. “We aim to produce the media’s next generation of image makers, from columnists to digital specialists, covering a wide variety of news and marketing positions,” said Thomas. “Charles Barkley has always been very generous to students in our Journalism and Sports Program on a personal level. I am thrilled that Charles has greatly extended his generosity by donating $1 million to address our growing needs.”

Morehouse President, John S. Wilson, Jr. offered a similar response. “We are profoundly grateful for this contribution, said Wilson. “ Beyond its immediate impact, we hope that it will catalyze additional strategic investments in this impressive program.”

Barkley made the announcement during a conference call for the American Century Championship’s celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe earlier this week. Full details of the gift are being still being worked out between Morehouse and Barkley.

Thursday, December 04, 2014

Kenny Smith's open letter to Charles Barkley about Barkley's comments on Ferguson

During an interview on a radio basketball analyst Charles Barkley caused quite a stir when he referred to the rioters in Ferguson as scumbags, and also seemed to be siding with the police version of events in Michael Brown's death. Now Charles has the right to his opinion (and I have the right to believe he's a jackass) and so does his friend and co-worker on TNT, Kenny Smith. Kenny Smith wrote his friend an open letter about his comments on Ferguson. Read that letter below:

Dear Chuck,

I hope this finds you in the way I always see you, in great spirits, with great joy and full of life. There are some things I want to openly say to you that sometimes in conversation get lost.

Firstly I lied! You ARE the greatest Power Forward of all time. It’s not (Tim) Duncan or (Karl) Malone, they had size and height that you weren’t blessed with and you never had near the talent around you that they were blessed to have. Contrarily you took your teams to similar heights. Secondly, you are a champion in my book. Effort and determination is what makes a champion, not a ring.

Lastly, you are the most entertaining person in sports television (partly because I throw you so many assists lol).

However, what I consistently find interesting is how writers and media members view your insights in politics, and now race relations, with the same reverence as your insights in sports.

They did it in the Trayvon Martin trial and now with Mike Brown and the decision in Ferguson. It’s not that you shouldn’t ever have an opinion, but you are often quoted alongside the likes of Al Sharpton and even President Obama. I would hope that Sharpton or President Obama would never be referenced with you when picking the next NBA Champs!

The body of work that our Black Civil Rights leaders put in by planning, executing and activating does not justify you being in the conversation. While your body of work on the court very few compare to nor should be mentioned when you are giving your expert analysis. Again, I respect that you have an opinion on Ferguson. And here’s mine.

The question must be asked: Why is there so much distrust in the police and the legal system from the African American community? Without manifesting what the effects of slavery still have today, Dec 1st still marks only 59 years since Rosa Parks sat on that memorable bus. Many of our parents and grandparents have lived through those times and have passed those stories on to all of us. Those civil rights changes were at one time the law! They were not illegal.

So did the protection of the law by the courts and police make it right? Obviously not, so as African Americans we still know and feel that there are laws and jurisdictions that severely penalize the poor and, most importantly, African Americans greater than any other group. Some laws were initially made without us as equals in mind; that’s just the facts. So the thought process that it’s not for us or by us will unfortunately lead to distrust.

When someone is in “the struggle”, which many of our black communities are in, they are living with a lack of educational facilities, high unemployment and poor recreational facilities. The masses involved in “the struggle” will react in several ways. They can overcome it, challenge it, live in it, or fall victim to it … For those of us who are decades removed from “the struggle” because of our life through sports or business, we now have to acknowledge that every option listed exists. If not, then we are the ignorant ones.

That leads me to the looters and civilians burning buildings which you referred to as “scumbags”. Here’s an analogy: If you put 100 people on an island with no food, no water, no hope of a ship coming, then some will overcome it and be resourceful, some will live in it, others will panic and others will show horrific character, which is wrong. But not to understand that all alternatives are possible is wrong as well.

I was also disheartened to see the reaction of burning buildings and looters by some. However, when you are in “The Struggle” to not expect that that potential reaction is foolish on our part.

The real issue is learning to positively manage your anger so you can be heard. It’s not that they are “scumbags”, their emotions won’t allow them to rationally think through their anger. I applaud that you have done a great job in your anger management in recent times … but not always.

Mike Brown wasn’t about race relations, nor Trayvon Martin or even Hurricane Katrina for that matter. It’s about trust. Do I trust you to help me off the island? If so, do you have my best interests at heart? Do I trust that you will you send a ship or allow me access to build my own ship?

And you were right Chuck, let’s not discredit that there are great police officers in all neighborhoods, but let’s not credit that we shouldn’t have doubt.

See you Thursday night!

Kenny Smith

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Charles Barkley Goes Off on ‘Unintelligent’ Black People

Charles Barkley had some pretty tough words on the radio this week for “unintelligent” African-Americans who seem a bit too eager to attack other black people for not being supposedly black enough. During an appearance on Afternoons with Anthony Gargano and Rob Ellis, Barkley was asked to react to a report this week that teammates of Seattle Seahawks player Russell Wilson don’t think he’s black enough. This really set off Barkley. Listen to his brutally honest comments below:

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Whoa America, black parents are not beating the hell out of their kids!

In light of the Adrian Peterson media frenzy I need to put this out there. BLACK PEOPLE ARE NOT RUNNING AROUND BEATING THE HELL OUT OF THEIR KIDS!

If you have been watching TV in the last few days you may have heard Chris Carter, Charles Barkley, and others say that black parents beat their kids when it comes to discipline. Barkley went so far as to say that all black parents in his neighborhood would have been arrested today for what they did when he was growing up. Many black talking heads said that was how they were brought up. That leaves the impression that's how all black people discipline their kids and that children were constantly beaten every other day. Neither impression is true.

I like many children didn't get as many beatings as I think I did and normally I earned that rare ass whuppin. It should also be mentioned that normally being beaten was a last resort and usually only happened after a display of blatant disrespect or if mom or dad had to leave work to come to school because of some foolishness you got into. It also needs to be mentioned that a talk normally followed the beating (the talk during the beating doesn't count), a talk about why you shouldn't have done whatever it was you did. Our parents never enjoyed beating us but that was how they taught us a lesson. You can argue about whether it was the best way but it worked.

Here's an example. When I was about eight I stole another little boys bottle of YooHoo. I of course got caught and my mother had to come to school. She beat me when we got home and then when my father got off from work he beat me. (Although I'm not sure if was more mad at me stealing or having to hear more mother yelling the moment he walked in the house.). After that I have never even thought of stealing agian, Hell, I haven't had a YooHoo since.

Now it's 2014 and I have a child. My wife and I don't beat our child. I would like to think that I am more enlightened than my parents but then again I have a little girl and could never picture spanking her. My wife was a spoiled little brat as a child and was never spanked so she doesn't believe in it at all.

We and many other black parents now use different methods when it comes to discipline. Times change and black parents are right there with everyone else when it comes to discipline. Oh and one last thing. Beating your child is not a black thing.

George Cook AfricanAmericanReports.com

Monday, February 17, 2014

VIDEO: Charles Barkley interviews President Obama

Charles Barkley sat down with Barack Obama to discuss the NBA, all-time greats and a few other things. Check out that interview below: