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Posts tagged as “Charles Barkley”

Charles Barkley to Sell Memorabilia to Build Affordable Housing in his Alabama Hometown

NBA great Charles Barkley (photo via commons.wikipedia.org)

According to the Washington Post, former NBA superstar Charles Barkley is selling his 1993 NBA MVP trophy and an Olympic gold medal among other memorabilia from his Hall of Fame basketball career so he can use the proceeds to build affordable housing in Leeds, Ala., where he grew up.

“That stuff’s not that important to me. I’ve had an unbelievable life,” Barkley told Birmingham’s WJOX-FM last week, explaining why he isn’t attached to these possessions. “I’ve been in Leeds a lot and we’ve 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.

“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.”

To quote the article:

Panini, a sports card and memorabilia company that Barkley has a relationship with, estimated that the MVP trophy alone could fetch $300,000 to $400,000, Barkley said. And his 1992 and 1996 Olympic gold medals? “ ‘I don’t even want to guess,’ ” Barkley said he was told, “ ‘but I can get you a lot for those gold medals.’ ”\

“I got an autograph deal with Panini and I was talking to the guys,” Barkley said. “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 [1992] Dream Team.’ He says, ‘Oh, I can get you a lot of money for that stuff.’ ”

Barkley went to high school in Leeds, which is about 20 miles east of Birmingham, and played collegiately at Auburn from 1981 to 1984. Now working for TNT, Barkley lives in Arizona but remains vocal about his Alabama roots. He has toyed with the idea of running for political office and hasn’t shied away from offering his opinion, whether it’s about Roy Moore when he was a candidate for Senate in 2017, the issues of race and poverty, or Trump.

“I want to do something really nice for Leeds. And if I could build 10 to 20 affordable houses — I want to do green housing, too,” he said. “If I could sell all that stuff, it would just be a really cool thing for me.”

To read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/03/09/charles-barkley-is-selling-memorabilia-build-affordable-housing-his-alabama-hometown/

Charles Barkley Donates $1 Million Each to Morehouse College, Auburn University and Wounded Warriors

T-Mobile Magenta Carpet At The 2011 NBA All-Star Game
Charles Barkley at the 2011 NBA All-Star Game (photo via newsone.com)
Former NBA baller Charles Barkley is donating one million dollars to Morehouse College, the Historically Black College for men in Atlanta, Ga. The TNT analyst announced the gift during a media conference call for the American Century Championship’s celebrity golf tournament earlier this week.
During the call, Barkley, who reportedly just signed an eight-to-ten year extension with the TV show “Inside The NBA,” said, “I just got a new contract, and my goal is always to give a million dollars a year away to charity.”
In fact, “the round mound of rebound” announced $3 million in gifts that day. Barkley gave Morehouse $1 million, and he also donated $1 million to his own alma mater, Auburn University. He also announced another $1 million to the Wounded Warriors project, a charity for veterans, saying, “I think it’s a joke the  way they treat our soldiers.”
article by Angela Bronner Helm via newsone.com

NBA's Sixers Retire Allen Iverson's No. 3

Allen Iverson
PHILADELPHIA — Allen Iverson cupped his hand to his left ear and asked to hear his favorite tune one more time.  With that command, 20,000 roaring Philadelphia 76ers fans gave AI the standing ovation he earned by stamping himself as one of the franchise’s all-time greats.  Iverson, emotional as he thanked former teammates and friends, had his No. 3 retired at halftime of Saturday’s game against Washington.
High above the Wells Fargo Center court, Iverson’s banner slipped between Maurice Cheeks‘ No. 10 and Charles Barkley‘s No. 34.  “They all wanted me to talk about how much y’all loved me,” Iverson said, “but trust me, the feeling was mutual.”  Iverson officially retired in October after last playing in 2010. He won four scoring titles for the Sixers and was the 2001 MVP when he led them to the NBA Finals. He never won a championship, the lone omission in a career that is destined for the Hall of Fame.
The Sixers may as well have turned the arena into an AI museum. Four banners greeted fans at the main concourse entrance, and photos of him were plastered all around the arena. The merchandise stands sold Iverson jerseys for $130, and lower level tickets were going for as much for $1,280 on StubHub about an hour before the 7:30 p.m. tipoff.  It was StubHub’s highest-priced 76ers home game this season, with the median ticket going for $109.  The fans loved him, and he blew them kisses after the No. 3 was raised to show how much he loved them back.  “I am Philly,” Iverson said. “It’s always going to be that way.”