Auburn basketball legend Charles Barkley made a bold statement on Thursday, saying that current Tigers star Johni Broome has the potential to be the greatest player in the program’s history—even surpassing Barkley himself.
Broome, who was named SEC Player of the Year and earned first-team All-American honors, was highlighted in a CBS segment ahead of Auburn’s NCAA tournament opener against Alabama State. Reacting to the feature, Barkley emphasized that Broome has a chance to achieve something unprecedented for the Tigers: winning a national championship.
“If he can complete the journey, I’d call him the greatest player in Auburn basketball history,” Barkley said. “I truly believe that. What he, Coach Bruce Pearl, and the team have accomplished is remarkable. But winning a national title would be on another level.”
Barkley reflected on Auburn’s 2019 Final Four appearance, which he previously considered the pinnacle of the program’s success. However, he asserted that if Broome leads the Tigers to a championship, it would cement his legacy as Auburn’s best player. “If he pulls it off, he’s the greatest,” Barkley stated. “He’d even be better than I was in college.”
During the discussion, CBS analyst Kenny Smith playfully teased Barkley, calling him an “overweight point guard” in his Auburn days. Despite the joke, Barkley’s college résumé remains impressive. A native of Leeds, Alabama, he averaged 14.1 points and 9.6 rebounds over three seasons, earning SEC Player of the Year and third-team All-America honors in 1984. His success at Auburn propelled him into a Hall of Fame NBA career.
While Barkley is an Auburn icon, he believes Broome has a rare opportunity to take the program to new heights—and, in doing so, become the school’s greatest player.
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