Former basketball star and “Inside The NBA” co-host Charles Barkley just gifted all the employees at his former high school with a little COVID-19 relief payment of his own. Barkley, who graduated from Leeds City High School in 1981 in Alabama, has given a $1,000 to over 200 people who work at the school. The school posted Barkley’s generosity on Facebook and also stated that Sir Charles has provided more than $3 million in scholarships to Leeds graduates over the past 30 years.
“We are humbled and wish to express our sincere gratitude to Charles Barkley for providing a $1,000 gift to each and every Leeds City Schools employee for going the extra mile this school year,” the Facebook post read. “Being a school employee is tough, but driving a bus, teaching, coaching, or working in the cafeteria, all while maintaining safety protocols, has been a daunting task during a worldwide pandemic.”
Throughout the years, Barkley has also supported the girls and boys’ basketball programs at Leeds, and helped his alma mater through the pandemic by supplying funds to help the school obtain laptops and hotspots for virtual learners during the shutdown.
“Although it’s been challenging, the Leeds staff has persevered and we can now see the light at the end of the tunnel. We are beyond thankful to know our hometown hero and benefactor, Charles Barkley, recognizes the hard work and dedication of the Leeds staff, even under the toughest of circumstances,” the Facebook post continued.
Barkley made a series of $1 million donations in the past as well to historically Black colleges and universities in Alabama and Georgia such as Tuskegee University, Miles College, Alabama A&M, Clark Atlanta University and Morehouse College. The retired baller proves to have a big heart for someone who once declared he wasn’t a “role model.”
