After the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action and race in college admissions this week, NBA Hall of Fame inductee Charles Barkley said he would be amending his last will and testament to benefit Black college students at his alma mater.
Barkley told Alabama's AL.com that his will already leaves $5 million to Alabama-based Auburn University.
Barkley said he will be changing that a bit, telling the outlet, "I'm going to change it to be just for scholarships for Black students. That's just my way of trying to make sure Auburn stays diverse."
Barkley said, "I've actually changed it to be used for kids from poor homes. But after that ruling ... my phone was blowing up. I was talking to my friends and said, 'I need to make sure Black folks always have a place at Auburn. So, I'm gonna change my will and make it exclusive for Black students; all $5 million.' It's just for me, the right thing to do. I always want to make sure that Auburn is diverse."
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Barkley said the decision to amend his will came just a day after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to strike down the use of race as a factor in university admissions in the United States after decades of common practice.
Barkley is preparing to co-host a new primetime weekly show on CNN this fall alongside CBS host Gayle King, called "King Charles."
Former CNN CEO Chris Licht said in a statement before his high-profile and somewhat sudden parting of ways with the cable news network that the show would "be an exciting new way" for CNN to deliver "culturally relevant programming and unique perspectives" with "two incredibly dynamic personalities.”
