Kids today might recognize Charles Barkley as that portly, chubby fellow analyst with extremist hot takes on NBA on TNT. But despite his newfound fame in the color commentary world, he's one of the most ruthless dominant forwards to ever play the game. Hailing from Leeds, Alabama, Barkley himself once stated that he never believed he would become a Hall-of-Fame worthy professional basketball player. He thought his life would lead him straight to a local Alabama factory. Boy, was he wrong.
The man formally known as Sir Charles was selected fifth overall in the 1984 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. Throughout his illustrious NBA career, Charles Barkley was able to collect 11 NBA All-Star selections, an NBA Most Valuable (1993), 5x NBA First-Team honors, two Olympic Gold Medals, and so much more. In sixteen years in the NBA, Barkley was not able to win a single Championship ring but still is considered an NBA legend for his contributions to the game.
To insure one’s house, one’s car or to underwrite a life insurance policy, that is common practice. But who would pay an insurance premium for his/her thumb, legs or smile? Stars, of course.
At the top of the ranking are the legs of Mariah Carey, worth 810 million USD: The diva became, in 2006, the Gillette brand muse for the advertising campaign «Legs of a Goddess». She then took out an insurance policy with London Lloyds to protect her legs, a decision that is far from being insignificant. Among its customers, the London insurer then included several icons of music, such as Bob Dylan or Rod Stewart.
David Beckham’s body insured for 195 million USD: European champion with Manchester United in 1999, David Beckham was in 2006 the most renowned footballer of the planet. In relation to his sporting activities, he took out an insurance cover for his legs. The huge amount paid for his insurance would reportedly exceed the 103 million USD disbursed by Real Madrid for the cover of Christiano Ronaldo in 2009. The fashion model would later extend his insurance cover to his entire body.
15 million USD in insurance for Kim Kardashian’s curves: The curves of Kim Kardashian are her number one beauty asset. The reality TV star, who is crazy about plastic surgery, has underwritten an insurance policy worth 15 million USD to protect her famous butt.
The culinary critic Egon Ronay assured his taste buds: The famous Hungarian culinary critic has insured his taste buds since 1957, for the amount of 400 000 USD. An original insurance policy which allows him to cover his sense of taste without which he will no longer be able to practice his job.