Auburn legend Charles Barkley aims to support affordable housing in Leeds

If you grew up watching Auburn Basketball and the NBA in the 80s and 90s, odds are you knew Charles Barkley—AKA the Round Mound of Rebound. However, you probably didn’t know that Charles Barkley was born in Leeds, just a short drive away from Birmingham. Now, he is dedicated to giving back to his community. Here’s how.

Staying True to His Roots

It’s no secret that Charles Barkley is a big help to Birmingham. He’s on the investment board at BIG Partnership, which helps drive investments into Birmingham’s 24 Opportunity Zones. In 2018, Barkley joined the Alabama Futures Fund to help local startups. And recently, he donated $1 million to Miles College—the largest single donation in the college’s 122-year-long history. Oh, and he is also involved in Redmont Distilling. Wow, the guy stays busy!

Now, Barkley is turning his attention to his hometown of Leeds, Alabama.

Lending a Helping Hand

On a recent radio program, Charles Barkley shared his plan to help out Leeds.

“We’ve probably got 30 “eyesores” where houses used to be when I was growing up. I’m going to use my own money—from selling my memorabilia—to build affordable, green housing in Leeds. That memorabilia is not a big deal to me—all of this stuff was at my grandmother’s house.”

Charles Barkley

That memorabilia includes his 1993 MVP trophy, two Olympic Gold Medals and an autographed flag signed by the original Dream Team—including Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and more.

Barkley could get up to $400 thousand for the 1993 MVP trophy alone. Who knows what he could get for the Gold Medals and Dream Team flag!

Do you have $400 thousand and want to get your hands on Charles Barkley’s MVP trophy? Stay tuned to @bhamnow to stay in the loop!