Charles Barkley is planning on getting rid of what he calls unnecessary awards and accolades in order to provide affordable and green housing to his hometown of Leeds, Ala. His goal is to use the money from selling items, including his 1996 Olympic gold medal and his 1993 MVP award, to build around 20 homes.
Barkley told ESPN he no longer has a need for these trophies and medals, and the money from them could be used to make a difference:
"I don't think I have to walk around with my gold medal or my MVP trophy for people to know I'm Charles Barkley, so I'm going to sell all that crap. That just clutters my house. I used to keep it at my grandmother's house, but they all passed away, and I don't want that stuff crapping up my house."
Most people's clutter is not from events like the Olympics, but for Barkley, these are the things he is looking to clear out.
The NBA legend was told the MVP trophy could bring in a minimum of $300,000, which would alone create a significant difference in his housing project. Paired with the other items he is putting up for bid, Barkley is looking at a good amount of cash to jump start his goal of giving back.
"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," Barkley said, according to NBC Sports. "If I could sell all that stuff, it would just be a really cool thing for me."
He described the current situation in Leeds by saying there is some work to be done.
"We've probably got 30 eyesores, as I call them, where houses used to be when I was growing up. Either a rotted-up house or there's just weeds that are overgrown," he said.
Barkley went on to explain the first steps of the process and how he will go about rebuilding the area, "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."
Not everything he has is being sold, however. The 1992 Olympic "Dream Team" gold medal is staying in the family, per request of his daughter. He is keeping it "because of how sentimental it is for the world."
Barkley has an autograph deal with Panini, which sells authenticated memorabilia. There's no word yet on when the public will be able to start bidding on these items.
