Charles Barkley is selling off some of his memorabilia, including his 1993 MVP trophy, to help his hometown of Leeds, Alabama.
In an interview with WJOX 94.5 on Friday, the NBA Hall of Famer said he plans to use the money from the sale of the items to build affordable housing in Leeds.
"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 got an autograph deal with Panini and I was talking to the guys - '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.'"
Barkley said his daughter wants to keep his gold medal from the 1992 Summer Olympics, but he's willing to sell everything else.
"I want to do something really nice for Leeds," he said. "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."
