“Ala-F*****g-Bama”: Charles Barkley Begrudgingly Takes the High Road for NCAA Final Four Despite Persisting Rivalry

Charles Barkley‘s dislike for Alabama is quite well-known. For those not familiar with it, the hate stems from Barkley’s three seasons with Auburn basketball and Auburn’s greatest rivalry in college football with the Alabama Crimson Tide. The ex-Philadelphia 76ers legend naturally leans towards his alma mater, despite hailing from Alabama. However, it seems that Barkley has softened his stance recently, at least in terms of college basketball scenario.

Alabama is one of the four teams in the Final Four stage of the NCAA tournament. After Barkley gave a shout-out to the other three teams, he hesitantly praised Bama as well. “Shout out to the Connecticut Huskies. What a great run they own. Shout out to the Purdue Boilermakers. Shout out to NC State, the Wolfpack. Hey, we miss you, Jim Valvano. What a great man. And Al f*ckin Bama. I can’t believe y’all here. But you know what? I gotta congratulate y’all. Y’all been awesome. Good luck today. I can’t wait,” he stated in a video message posted on Instagram.

This may not come as a major surprise to the fans as Barkley had hinted towards this ahead of the March Madness itself. “Listen, this ain’t football so I think the Alabama-Auburn fans are going to be rooting for each other, that’s just my personal opinion,” the 11x All-Star had said on a CBS Zoom call previewing the NCAA Tournament.

However, the Auburn Tigers were ousted from the tournament in the first round itself by Yale Bulldogs. But the ex-Sixers star stands on his words, extending his support to the Crimson Tide. It is worth mentioning that this does not lessen the dislike Barkley has for Alabama’s college football team.

Examining Charles Barkley’s dynamics with Alabama

Charles’ feelings against Alabama were so strong back in college that he would have supported Afghanistan but not the Crimson Tide, as he had stated. During his college basketball days with Auburn, Barkley, in an interview with ESPN, stated he cannot root for Alabama under any circumstances. “… I told you if they played Afghanistan, I’d be pulling for Afghanistan,” he stated.

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However, appearing on ‘The Next Round’, Barkley stated back in 2023 that he does not exactly gate Alabama but their fan base. “I really don’t hate Alabama, I just want to beat them. I hate their fans because they’re obnoxious. They lost two games last year, and it was like, ‘Kill us now. That’s the end of the world.’ Then, after the lost to Texas, it was like, ‘Oh my God.'”

He further emphasized that despite having one of the greatest coaches ever (Nick Saban), the fans are a bunch of ungrateful brats and that’s the only thing he hates about Alabama.

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