Charles Barkley and Dominique Wilkins grew up in the deep South, played in the Southeastern Conference and spent more than a decade as two of the NBA’s greatest forwards.

Now the men with the familiar nicknames and the formidable highlight reels will go into the Basketball Hall of Fame, fittingly, together.

Barkley and Wilkins each got the required 18 votes from the honors committee and will join former Detroit Pistons guard Joe Dumars, Connecticut women’s coach Geno Auriemma, Italian coach Sandro Gamba and longtime contributor Dave Gavitt at September’s induction in Springfield, Mass.

“Charles and I go back since college,” Wilkins said Monday after the announcement was made. “None of us thought this would happen, we just wanted to play basketball. This is the highest honor that can ever be paid, and it’s mind-blowing.”

Barkley, Auriemma and Gavitt were first-ballot selections. Gavitt’s nomination was delayed because he had to wait two years after finishing his term chairman of the Hall of Fame board in 2003, a rule Gavitt helped craft.

Dumars played on the Detroit Pistons championship teams in 1989 and 1990, then helped the Pistons win another NBA title in 2004 as team president of basketball operations. Auriemma has already collected five national championship trophies with the Huskies and is closing in on winning his 600th career game next season.

As coach at Providence, Gavitt had eight straight 20-win seasons. Later, he helped establish the Big East Conference, while also expanding the NCAA tournament to 64 teams and increasing network television coverage of the three-week event.

Among those that failed to get enough votes were former players Ralph Sampson and Adrian Dantley, former coaches Gene Keady and Don Nelson and ESPN analyst Dick Vitale.

Terrell Owens has gone from stomping on the Dallas Cowboys’ star logo to wearing it on his helmet.

The reviled receiver joined the Cowboys, signing a three-year contract to play for Jerry Jones and Bill Parcells in what promises to be an interesting combination of strong personalities.

“I’m a star among stars now,” a smiling Owens said.

There’s no questioning his talent — Owens has consistently put up numbers the Cowboys have lacked since Michael Irvin was in the prime of his career in the mid-1990s.

It’s his attitude that prompted the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles to get rid of Owens. His relationship with the Eagles soured only months after he led them to the Super Bowl, finally ending with his release March 14.

Owens referred to his past problems as “life-learning experiences.”

“I’m going to put those things behind me,” Owens said. “They can only make a man stronger, wiser. For me, that’s what it’s done. I’ll be a better teammate, a better person, a better man in life. I’m looking forward to this opportunity. I couldn’t be more excited to be here.”

Following up a question to Jones about Owens’ past, the receiver interjected: “Jerry, I know what’s expected of me. I won’t let you down.”

Jones didn’t immediately reveal any contract details, but it was likely to include behavior-related provisions. Owens’ blowup with Philadelphia last season even led to new rules regarding punishment being written into the NFL’s latest collective bargaining agreement.

“We can both disappoint each other in this agreement,” Jones said. “But this is no free lunch to the Dallas Cowboys. We made a commitment to him. That means something.”

Agent Drew Rosenhaus said seven teams pursued Owens, “but this was the only team for Terrell.”