He’s a master of politics

Charles Barkley, who lives in the Phoenix area, established residence in Alabama last year by purchasing, for $1, the house he built for his mother in his hometown of Leeds. He did that because after seven years as a resident of the state he can run for governor.

In the meantime he plans to run for mayor of Leeds this year.

Meanwhile, Barkley’s former Suns teammate Kevin Johnson, currently running for mayor of Sacramento, lent himself $500,000 to jump-start his campaign.

Said Barkley: “I’d think $5,000 would be all I’d need to run for mayor of Leeds.”

Trivia time

Was Barkley ever named most valuable player of the NBA?

Pulling down good grades

It has been shown that it doesn’t necessarily take a lot of intelligence to get into politics, but when Barkley was on Jay Leno’s show last week to promote TNT’s NBA playoff coverage, the host asked him how his grades were when he was in school at Auburn. “My grades turned out pretty good,” Barkley said. “I was the leading rebounder in the SEC. I wasn’t worried about flunking out of school.”

Added Barkley: “I knew if I got 10 rebounds a night, there was a place for me in the world.”

Too much work

Asked whether he would ever consider going on “Dancing With the Stars,” Barkley said one reason he wouldn’t is, “I’m fighting the battle of the bulge.”

He also said it would mean practicing 10 hours a day.

“Other than gambling, there is nothing in this world I want to do 10 hours a day,” he said.

Said Leno: “How long did you practice when you where playing?”

Barkley’s replied, “An hour, or an hour and a half.”

When the response made Leno laugh, Barkley said, “And how long does your show last?”

A round diet

Barkley, a big fan of a certain kind of doughnut, confessed to Leno: “One time I bought a dozen and broke it up into three meals -- breakfast lunch and dinner. I’ve got issues.”

Trick question

Leno threw this question at Barkley: “Charles had the ability but did not apply himself, or Charles did not have the ability and did apply himself?”

Said Barkley: “I’d hate to find out the answer to that question.”

Schooling Ali

Along the same lines, Muhammad Ali has never claimed to be book-smart. A one-hour special titled “Icons From the Archives” that will air on NBC on Sunday includes a clip from an interview that host Joe Garagiola did with Ali after his 1977 fight with Earnie Shavers at Madison Square Garden.

“I went to 12th grade in school, but actually I have about a ninth-grade education,” Ali said. “I don’t read that well, but I have common sense.”

Trick photography

The recent ad that shows Kobe Bryant jumping over a moving convertible had viewers wondering if it is for real. It isn’t.

Now there are some NBA promos, directed by the husband-and-wife team of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (“Little Miss Sunshine”), that show competing players morphed together. In one of the spots, Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal appear as one.

Just so you know, this is also trick photography.

Just two regular guys

David Beckham has become a huge Lakers fan, attending every game he can. It all started after Bryant attended a Galaxy game and Beckham invited him into the locker room.

“We exchanged numbers and I invited him to a game,” Bryant told FSN West’s Jim Watson. “He came out with his wife and kids, so it’s obviously nice to have another friend in L.A.”

As if Bryant has trouble finding friends these days.

Trivia answer

Yes, Barkley won the MVP award in 1993.

And finally

David Kaufman, in his new biography of singer-actress Doris Day, wrote that she and Mickey Mantle had an ongoing affair in 1962, using a New York hotel as their love nest.

Wrote Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times of Mantle: “Guess that explains why you never once heard him utter any complaints about Day-night doubleheaders.”

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larry.stewart@latimes.com