Charles Barkley donates $1M to St. Mary’s Academy after students solve Pythagorean Theorem

NBA legend Charles Barkley donates $1 million to St. Mary's Academy following two students’ groundbreaking mathematical discovery.

Charles Barkley has made a significant donation of $1 million to St. Mary’s Academy in New Orleans after learning about two of its students who proved a new method for solving the 2,000-year-old Pythagorean Theorem. The former NBA star was inspired by a "60 Minutes" segment that covered the remarkable achievement of alumni Calcea Johnson and Ne'Kiya Jackson, who presented their findings at an American Mathematical Society conference.

“This transformative gift will assist students as they excel and achieve whatever dream they create within the walls of St. Mary's Academy,” said the school's president, Pamela Rogers, in a press release. The donation, which will be distributed over a ten-year period, is intended to enhance the educational experience for students and provide new growth opportunities.

The two students used trigonometry to offer a new proof for the Pythagorean Theorem, a task previously thought impossible by mathematicians. Johnson is currently a student at Louisiana State University (LSU), while Jackson is studying at Xavier University