NEW YORK — Charles Barkley was a part of one of the best, most heartwarming stories of 2018.
Last December, journalist Shirley Wang wrote about the friendship that blossomed between the Hall of Famer and her dad, Lin Wang, a scientist who walked up to Barkley at a Sacramento hotel bar one night to snap a photo with him. But the pair ended up hanging out for three nights in a row at that bar and Wang would later visit the set of Inside the NBA. When Barkley’s mother passed away in 2015, Wang showed up. And when Wang died last year, Barkley traveled “near the outskirts of Iowa city” to pay his respects.
Barkley was asked on Tuesday at the CBS and Turner NCAA Tournament media breakfast about his reaction to seeing how the story made such an impression a few months ago. His answer was a hope that it was a lesson for current NBA stars.
“It’s important that these guys relate to the fans,” he said. “They don’t pay you all that money just to pay basketball. People are going to come up and talk to you, they’re going to want autographs or take pictures. Be courteous to them. That’s what I hope people got out of it.”
Barkley knows of players who will tell off a fan who interrupts their dinners. He noted that his interaction with “Dr. Lin” made him think about how to greet people looking for a photo or autograph: “It’s nice to meet you, I’m having dinner right now, I’ll sign or take a picture after dinner.”
“The fans make the game go around,” he added.
Barkley — who was quoted in Wang’s article — had no idea it would have the impact it made on so many people.
“I didn’t know it was going to resonate,” he added. “I probably never got a response (like that) about anything I’ve ever done, to be honest with you.”
