Never forget your roots.
It’s a cliché, but for many athletes including Charles Barkley, it’s true. After years of fame and fortune, whether it was on the basketball court, in the TNT studios or during one of his many (hilarious) sessions on the golf course, Barkley still holds strong ties to his upbringing.
The Round Mound of Rebound grew up in Leeds, Alabama, as the first black baby born in a segregated town hospital, according to an ESPN feature story. To this day, the town struggles with poverty in areas: 12.6% of the total population is below the poverty line, according to a recent census finding.
During Barkley’s last visit, he observed his surroundings and shared his thoughts with both the Dan Le Batard Show on ESPN and The Roundtable on 94.5 WJOX in Birmingham.
“We probably got 30 eyesores… where houses used to be when I was growing up,” Barkley said. “[Now there’s] either a rotted out house or there’s just weeds that are overgrown.
“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.”
Then, Barkley is going to use his own money to help build affordable housing (and greenhouses) for the residents of Leeds. He’s not just going to use his money out of pocket, though. Instead, he’s going to sell some of the most highly-sought after memorabilia that American basketball has to offer.
“I got an autograph deal with Panini [America],” Barkley said. “I was talking to the guy… and I said ‘how much can I get for my MVP trophy and my two gold medals, and I got an autographed flag signed by the first original Dream Team,’.”
$300-$400 thousand is the answer that Barkley got… for the MVP trophy alone. With the medals and the flag included, Barkley could be looking at a humongous source of money to use and help achieve his goals. Though he had given all of these pieces of memorabilia to his daughter, she was more than willing to part with them upon hearing what he would do with the money. She did want one piece, and Barkley believes she’ll take the 1992 Gold Medal, calling it more nostalgic and important than the other pieces.
Barkley won the medal in 1992 playing alongside Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and several other NBA legends. He earned his MVP trophy a season later, averaging 25.6 points, 12.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game.
“If I can sell all that stuff, it would just be a really cool thing for me,” Barkley said, calling the memorabilia an “eyesore.”
Sir Charles was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006 in honor of his 16-year career, 11 of which he was nominated to an All-Star team.
