I watch Inside the NBA almost religiously - it's such a perfect show sometimes.<p>It's not your typical ESPN or Fox Sports commentary show where an anchor talks about a player's "tenacious tenacity". It's a show that presents itself as a place where four friends talk about a shared interest.<p>To accomplish this, they need to be comfortable talking to each other without being confined to the sports equivalent of political correctness - to have unconstrained degrees of freedom in criticism, humor and general skylarking. This happens oftentimes to the point of controversy, with Charles usually being involved at the center of any such controversy.<p>This story is beautiful, but to anyone that is a fan of Charles Barkley, it is unsurprising. He's always been a beacon of genuineness through his time as a player, as a commentator and this article simply extends that same light to his personal life.
I had a very similar one-time experience with Charles Barkley. I was a regular at the bar at the Ritz-Carlton on Central Park South in NYC, and was introduced to Barkley by the bartender, who often connected solo diners/imbibers with each other for conversation.<p>We had a nice conversation about NYC, vegas, gambling, friendship, etc. along with a number of tequila shots. He was extremely down to earth while not pretending like he was anything other than a world famous former basketball player.
We should also never forget the classic gaming inspired by Charles Barkley - Barkley, Shut Up and Jam![1], or the spin-off RPG, Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden[2]<p>[1] <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barkley_Shut_Up_and_Jam" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barkley_Shut_Up_and_Jam</a>!
[2] <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barkley,_Shut_Up_and_Jam:_Gaiden" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barkley,_Shut_Up_and_Jam:_Gaid...</a>
This is a lovely and charming story...but. The whole premise is that the relationship between the suburban dad and the celebrity was somehow weird and unbelievable. I see that, but it's a shame we can't turn the world on its head somehow so that it would be just everyday normality. Celebrity culture has elevated some people to a kind of otherness. But they're just people.
>"Listen: As an adult — and you’re too young to understand this now — all you want is your kids to be happy. That’s what you work for. To give your kids everything in life."<p>This sentiment is common to all parents across race, culture, and religion. It is one of the things that makes us human. So uplifting to hear how these two very different people connected over that.
Listen to the narrated version of the article. It’s much more powerful hearing the author and Barkley talk about Lin, especially when Barkley talks about how he and Lin would talk about their kids.
This was such a lovely story it made me tear up. Barkley does come across as a really nice guy on television and his friendship with Shaq is legendary, so it's great to hear confirmation that that is really the case. And Charles words at the funeral were brief but genuine and warm. Great afternoon read.
I met him a few times, his daughter went to my high school in Scottsdale. Always such a nice guy, even though freshman were always collectively losing their minds.