Charles Barkley selling trophies and memorabilia to build affordable housing
Sir Charles plans to hold onto is his 1992 Olympic gold medal but that's only because his daughter wants it for herself
Charles Barkley wants to build affordable housing in his hometown of Leeds, Alabama. He is even willing to sell his NBA MVP trophy and memorabilia from the 1992 Dream Team to make that dream a reality.
According to 247 Sports, the Hall of Famer recently told WJOX 94.5 that he wanted to help his community. The NBA legend felt that selling the valuables in his family’s trophy room was a small price to pay.
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“We 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,” Barkley said. “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.”
“I want to do something really nice for Leeds,” he continued. “And if I could build 10 to 20 affordable houses — I want to do green housing too — (and) if I could sell all that stuff, it would just be a really cool thing for me.”
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One item Barkley plans to hold onto is his 1992 Olympic gold medal. That’s only because his daughter has made it clear that she wants it. Aside from that, he’s emotionally detached from everything else and selling it all for a good cause.
“I got an autograph deal with Panini and I was talking to the guys,” Barkley explained, “cause 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 gold medals? And I got an autographed plaque signed by the first original Dream Team.’ He says, ‘Oh I can get you a lot of money for that stuff.'”
