Why Charles Barkley Plans To Sell NBA MVP Trophy And Olympic Medal
Charles Barkley is getting an early start on his Spring cleaning.
The basketball Hall of Famer and sports anchor is planning on selling a lot of his NBA memorabilia in order to build affordable housing in his hometown of Leeds, Alabama.
Barkley told WJOX that he wants to make a difference in his community and give back in the best way possible: selling valuables from his family’s trophy room.
“My two gold medals, my MVP trophy and a bunch of other crap that just clutters my house,” 57-year-old Barkley told “The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz.”
Barkley said he plans to keep his 1992 Olympic gold medal because his daughter wants it, but everything else is up for grabs. The 11-time All-Star says he grew up seeing a lot of homes in bad conditions and wants to do something nice to transform his hometown.
"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 told WJOX. "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.”
“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," he continued.
Barkley reportedly hopes to sell his MVP trophy for $300,000 to $400,000.