Charles Barkley wants to build affordable housing in his Alabama hometown.
The NBA Hall of Famer is reportedly selling memorabilia from his basketball career to raise funds for his new investment in Leeds, Ala. as per The Washington Post.
“That stuff’s not that important to me. I’ve had an unbelievable life,” Barkley told Birmingham’s WJOX-FM last week. “I’ve been in Leeds a lot and we’ve probably got 30 eyesores, as I call them, where houses used to be when I was growing up. Either a rotted-out house or there’s just weeds that have overgrown. So, what I’m trying to do—I want to work with the city of Leeds. I want them to give me the spaces, number one. I want them to give me the houses, and I’m going to use my own money, selling my memorabilia.”
Charles is selling priceless items like his 1993 NBA MVP trophy and more. “I got an autograph deal with [Italian memorabilia company] Panini and I was talking to the guys,” Barkley said. “All that stuff is at my grandmother’s house; I don’t even keep it, to be honest with you. And I said, ‘How much could I get for my MVP trophy and my two [Olympic] gold medals? And I got an autographed plaque signed by the [1992] Dream Team.’ He says, ‘Oh, I can get you a lot of money for that stuff.’ ”
Charles Barkley rose to fame in the NBA during the early ’90s, but he came from humble beginnings. He revealed that he was the first Black baby to be born at one of Leeds’ segregated, all-white hospitals in a 2015 interview. He was also the first Black student to integrate his elementary school. So his ties to his hood run deep.
