Charles Barkley has been using his wealth for good a lot this year, and he plans to keep the trend going. In a radio interview with WJOX 94.5, Barkley said he plans to auction off his NBA MVP trophy and memorabilia from the 1992 Dream Team to build affordable housing in his hometown of Leeds, Alabama.

"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. 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," he told the radio hosts. "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 — (and) if I could sell all that stuff, it would just be a really cool thing for me."

He went on to explain that he got the idea after speaking with sports collection company Panini about how much some of his medals and trophies might be worth. During the interview, he said the MVP trophy could bring in about $400,000 alone. He also plans to sell a flag that was autographed by the entire 1992 Olympic Dream Team and one of his gold medals.

"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 flag signed by the first original Dream Team.' He says, 'Oh I can get you a lot of money for that stuff,'" he said.

In the interview, Barkley added that he plans to keep one Olympic gold medal because his daughter wants it.

Barkley often speaks about his hometown and what it was like growing up in segregated Alabama. Leeds is a small town a few miles outside of Birmingham. Barkley has made it a point to give back some of his wealth to the state of Alabama. In January, he donated $1 million to Miles College, a historically Black college in Alabama and one of the country's oldest HBCUs, as Blavity previously reported. 

Barkley's gift was the biggest donation from a single person that the school has ever received in its history. The school's president said the donation will kickstart efforts to raise $100 million so the college can continue functioning.

In addition to his gift to Miles College, he has given $1 million to Alabama A&M University, Clark Atlanta University and Morehouse College in Atlanta. 

Barkley was a star player at Auburn University and is one of Alabama's most famous athletes. He is now one of the NBA's most popular TV analysts. 

According to a statement from Miles College, Barkley has also spent time on the school's campus speaking with students. The school believes his donation will prompt other philanthropic organizations to throw their support behind the fundraising effort. 

Over the next two years, Barkley will also be involved in stimulating the local economy around Birmingham, where he serves as a majority owner of Redmont Distillery, and in Leeds, as Blavity previously reported. 

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