Basketball legend Charles Barkley pledges $250K donation to GLIDE

SAN FRANCISCO - Despite his past criticisms of the city, it seems to be that NBA legend Charles Barkley has left his heart in San Francisco. After volunteering with GLIDE in the city's Tenderloin neighborhood, Barkley said he would donate $250,000 to the organization. 

In town for the NBA All-Star Game and events, Barkley spent the day at the GLIDE center volunteering on Saturday.

GLIDE shared that he spent time with the community and served meals. 

"It's not about fame; it's about showing up. If you can, find a way to do the same," GLIDE shared on social media. 

"They work so hard over there. I want to give them a lot of love and shine…I'm going to donate $250,000 to GLIDE," Barkley said on TNT's Inside the NBA show.

GLIDE expressed their thanks on social media. 

"We couldn't have imagined [Barkley] would shout us out on national television and make such a big donation! GLIDE is so grateful for [his] gift and showing us love!" GLIDE said.

The backstory:

Barkley has previously criticized the city of San Francisco, saying he would not come to the city for the game, and not mincing words about it--claiming it was "rat-infested," according to SFist.

In an interview with KTVU, Alex Bastian of Hotel Council SF called out the former basketball player about his views and urged him to come to the city in an op-ed.

"Come experience all of it and I feel if [Barkley] is objective about it, he's going to leave his heart here as well," Bastian said Wednesday.

Why you should care:

GLIDE is a center in San Francisco that promotes social justice and is committed to fighting systemic injustices and finding ways out of poverty.