Auburn to honor Charles Barkley with statue

Auburn plans to build a statue of Charles Barkley outside the university's basketball arena.

Barkley's statue will be the first on campus to honor a former athlete who did not play football. The school has erected statues for the Tigers' three Heisman Trophy winners -- Bo Jackson, Pat Sullivan and Cam Newton.

The school made the announcement about the Barkley statue plans in a video that was played on the big board to fans attending Auburn's 56-3 victory over Arkansas on Saturday night at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Jackson appeared on the video board to tweak Barkley for not having a statue on-campus, before Jackson announced to the crowd that the school is going to add one of Barkley. Jackson then emerged on the field and the legends hugged.

"It just means a great deal to me," Barkley said in a statement. "Being a kid from Alabama, going to Auburn. I think everybody knows what Auburn means to me. It's going to be pretty cool."

Barkley played at Auburn from 1981 to 1984 before being drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round. He went on to a Hall of Fame NBA career. Auburn retired Barkley's jersey in 2001.

"It's more than about what Charles Barkley accomplished here at Auburn, which is certainly historic, but it has been about his life's work and contribution," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said in a statement. "We want to recognize one of the most respected, philanthropic NBA legends, Hall of Famer, for his lifetime achievements.

"Our Auburn Family is so blessed to have an Auburn man like Charles Barkley in the public eye representing us. A statue and a symbol like this serves to bring attention to that and will stand the test of time."