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.
My Dad's Friendship with Charles Barkley
11–20 of 41 posts
Re: My Dad's Friendship with Charles Barkley
#12This 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.
It’s not just celebrity, but two guys from completely different and far separated social spheres, managing to strike up and more importantly, keep a friendship going despite the distance.
I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect famous people — or anyone, for that matter — to stay in touch with literally anyone who wants to befriend them. Our attention and time is a finite resource, we have to make hard choices and commitments about who we give to and withdraw from. This is a story that wouldn’t happen without celebrity. Not just because Mr. Wang would not have otherwise recognized and talked to Barkley in their chance encounter, but seeing Barkley on TV continually helped keep the familiarity going, even if it was a mostly one-way street.
I bet Barkley gets many solicitations for his attention, and on the surface Wang doesn’t seem any different than other fans. But I think Wang showed his the genuineness of his friendship by showing up for the funeral service for Barkley’s mom. Anyone, fan or friend, could have seen the news and booked a flight to be there. That Wang dropped whatever work he was doing to be there for someone who he wasn’t close to (socially/geospatially) was a strong sign of how much he cared about Barkley.
Re: My Dad's Friendship with Charles Barkley
#13This 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.
The whole premise of the story is exactly what you say you wish it was.
Re: My Dad's Friendship with Charles Barkley
#14Earlier quoted context omitted.
Usually human lives are a continuous process of self-selecting our social circle to include those most similar to us in most ways. This is unusual because the two friends were so different, but still found common ground. Celebrities become g friends with non celebrities is also rare because there is always the sense that the ordinary person wants fame or money by association from the friendship, which was even true i…
I think this tells the story of the culture of celebrity in the United States as much as a private story between these two people. It is also "traditional" celebrity interaction. Where the celebrity achieved status from professional skill building and achievement and largely unknowable through social media. So to know this person or have photos with them is a more scarce and unusual thing. Wheras new celebrity status…
People have been famous for being beautiful and charismatic long before Internet social networks.
Re: My Dad's Friendship with Charles Barkley
#15Listen 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.
Complete opposite experience for me. I found Lin's daughter's voice quite grating and reverted to reading the text. The part that did me in was when she gleefully enunciated "exclamation point exclamation point."
I don't follow what you're trying to say about her "gleeful enunciation".
Re: My Dad's Friendship with Charles Barkley
#16I watch Inside the NBA almost religiously - it's such a perfect show sometimes. 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. To accomplish this, they need to be comfortable talking to each other without being confined to the sports equivalent of politica…
Actual chemistry between the folks on screen that produces results that seem like ... actual chemistry seems really undervalued / rare these days. I love reading / watching sports.... sports shows that aren't the sports them-self are almost always so bad and wonky. Inside the NBA is a noteworthy example of what it should be.
It’s a jewel. One of my favorite moments and a sample of that chemistry for the interested..
Re: My Dad's Friendship with Charles Barkley
#17This 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.
The whole premise of the story is exactly what you say you wish it was.
Only from the perspective of the two dudes in the story. I love their healthy "it's no big deal" attitude to the whole thing. What I dislike (but understand) is the "unbelievable story" angle. Perhaps premise was the wrong word.
Re: My Dad's Friendship with Charles Barkley
#18Great article.
Charles Barkley is one of the few celebrities I respect. He believes in diversity of thought.
Re: My Dad's Friendship with Charles Barkley
#19I was hoping to hear more about his cat litter work. What did he do? Did he ever talk about it with Barkley? etc
Re: My Dad's Friendship with Charles Barkley
#20Earlier quoted context omitted.
Actual chemistry between the folks on screen that produces results that seem like ... actual chemistry seems really undervalued / rare these days. I love reading / watching sports.... sports shows that aren't the sports them-self are almost always so bad and wonky. Inside the NBA is a noteworthy example of what it should be.
It’s a jewel. One of my favorite moments and a sample of that chemistry for the interested.. https://youtu.be/uVcAazaigiQ
SNL bits jewels too
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=snl+charles+bar...