As much as Charles Barkley jokes about Birmingham - he once called it a suburb of Leeds, his hometown - he has always supported the Magic City.
Barkley, the former Auburn star and NBA great, was in the state of Alabama on Wednesday participating in the Regions Tradition Pro-Am. The “NBA on TNT” analyst praised Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin.
“We finally have a mayor who’s trying to help the city grow instead of just lining his own pockets,” Barkley said. “I think Mayor Woodfin is a terrific mayor and a great person.”
Barkley has long been a supporter of Woodfin. In 2020, Barkley donated $25,000 to Woodfin’s re-election campaign.
“I’ve said before one reason I bought my distillery in Birmingham, I think Birmingham is a really important place we look at when you talk about civil rights. Everybody talks about Montgomery and Selma, but Birmingham is really, really important. We need to make it the best and make it a first-class city. I’m glad to see the growth, and I’m excited.”
In 2019, Barkley became a majority owner of Redmont Distilling Co. Barkley wanted to invest in a business in his home state. Redmont Distilling Co presented a great opportunity for him to be a part of the Birmingham business community.
Birmingham’s first legal distillery since Prohibition, Redmont Distilling was founded by Florence natives Stephen Watts and Jake Hendon. The distillery got approval from the Alabama ABC board in 2015. Jonathan Guidry later joined the team and the distillery officially launched Redmont Vodka, its first spirit, in March 2016. Its second spirit, Alabama Cotton Gin, launched three months later.
Mark Heim is a sports reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim.
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