A Story About Charles Barkley And A Cat Litter Scientist Just Made The Entire Internet Cry

Charles Barkley is trending on Twitter.

“Woof. What happened now?” I thought to myself.

THIS is DEFINITELY not what I was expecting.

After Charles Barkley’s mother passed away, a cat litter scientist from Iowa showed up at the funeral.

“Everybody’s, like, ‘Who’s the Asian dude over there?’ “ Barkley recalls. “I said, ‘That’s my boy, Lin.’ “https://t.co/kN7BctAcUf

— NPR’s Only A Game (@OnlyAGameNPR) December 15, 2018

HUH?

You REALLY should go read the whole thing, but here are a few highlights:

As I talked about the relationship with more and more people, I began to think that either my dad was one of the luckiest basketball fans ever — or this whole thing was an elaborate joke, a “Dinner For Schmucks”-type situation.

But no. The friendship was real.

It was so, so beautifully real.

After it was all over, I went through my dad’s phone and texted all his friends. I wrote:

Hi. This is Shirley. My dad just passed away.

The funeral was the day after the NBA Finals. My dad’s favorite team, the Golden State Warriors, had won the night before.

Charles was there. He wouldn’t have missed it for the world. 

The funeral was set near the outskirts of Iowa City in a house by the woods. I was talking to my childhood friend when she suddenly looked stunned. I turned to look behind me.

And standing there — drenched in sweat from the Iowa summer, towering over everyone in the room at 6 feet, 6 inches tall — was Charles Barkley.

“I had not met anybody in your family,” Barkley said. “I didn’t know anybody there.”

Everyone watched, astonished, as this man — this man we only knew from TV, this worldwide celebrity — walked down the aisle, looked at us and sighed.

Ok. I know why this is trending.

I’m crying, too.

Later, after it all, I texted Barkley and asked him: “Why my dad? Why did he matter so much to you?” And recently, I called him up and asked: “What did you even have to talk about?”

They talked about family. Barkley loved and respected him for it.

“So, let me get this straight: you were impressed by him?” I asked.

“Yeah,” Barkley said.

We all have SO much to give. We all have SO much to learn from each other. Oh, my HEART, is this a beautiful story of unlikely friendship.

You really, REALLY should go read the whole thing.

OMG. I just heard this story on the way to the gym and I cried the whole way. What an amazing story! Thanks for sharing this with us.

— mike (@mike_ghstprjct) December 15, 2018

My heart just grew three sizes reading this.

— Christina (@chrelisem) December 15, 2018

Charles is such a great person. When I was 7 I watched a USA Olympic team practice and he “tackled” me for wearing a Gary Payton jersey that he told me to take off all practice. Came over after practice and took it off himself 😂 and later signed the photo! He’s one of a kind. pic.twitter.com/ImaeqxvGpS

— CivilWarQuotes (@CivilWar_Quotes) December 15, 2018

I’m not crying.

YOU’RE crying

— “luh*lee*tah.” Lolita is my evil twin. (@LLAmos) December 15, 2018

What a powerful story. It’s about making connections with others. We all have our own journeys and triumphs and failures. Wouldn’t the world be so much better if we reached out like your dad did? So sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing.

— DavisLiuMD (@davisliumd) December 15, 2018

Omg. This. Don’t have to care about hoops or Barkley. Read it and remember our shared humanity. https://t.co/KGoXnopz4V

— Neal Katyal (@neal_katyal) December 15, 2018

I’ll never forget this piece or that it led to this exchange with my wife. “Ugh, what’s making you cry now?” “A story about Charles Barkley” https://t.co/KuKta3HzC9

— Seth Meyers (@sethmeyers) December 15, 2018

My heart is so, SO full.