After pitching her podcast idea, Schroeder realized it would be perfect for sports segment 'Only A Game.” Inspired to continue the story on a larger scale, Shirley messaged Alex Schroeder, a digital producer for the station where Shirley interned in college, WBUR Boston. I remember just forgetting that it was a funeral.” She described his arrival, saying, 'It was shocking how tall and sweaty he was. It wasn't until Barkley appeared at her father's funeral last June that Shirley realized her father's importance to the celebrity. Lin described encounters with this mystery man anywhere from formal dinner events to graduation parties. ![]() Over the next few years, the Wang family became familiar with hearing about their relationship. When Lin returned to his Iowa City home from a business trip several years ago, he bore a strange anecdote: he had met and befriended NBA superstar Charles Barkley in a bar. Less than a week later, she found herself appearing on the Today Show, featured in the Washington Post and cited in celebrity Twitter posts - all because her dad befriended Charles Barkley. What Shirley was not expecting, however, was the overwhelming media attention this 14-minute podcast received. This primary intimate conversation led to a piece aired on NPR on Dec. 'It was about treating him with respect and treating his story with respect.” 'So many people hadn't taken this story seriously, and when you're being interviewed, you feel very important,” Shirley said. Indeed, it is quite wholesome to hear Sir Charles’ unexpected yet great friendship with his fan – Lin Wang.But after Lin was diagnosed with cancer in 2016 and their time together became limited, Shirley gave the tale another chance, initiating a one-on-one conversation styled like a traditional interview. I was blessed to know him - and know you, too,” the global megastar concluded. “Your dad prepared you to take care of yourself. “Just hearing about him at the funeral - what he had accomplished and what he was trying to help other people accomplish, just made me even - I wished he bragged more about himself.” ![]() It gives me great memories and great joy to know that I was a friend of his,” Barkley said. Later, Barkley revealed his true feelings for his late friend to Shirley. The NBA icon even spoke a few words about Wang at the eulogy.Īlso Read: Charles Barkley hilariously calls his boss a ‘cougar’ on NBAonTNT while on national TV Barkley, being the great friend he was, flew to Iowa City to honour his unexpected friend. And in 2018, passed away succumbing to cancer. Tragically, Wang developed a tumour around his heart in 2016. ![]() For your dad to take the time to come to the funeral meant a great deal to me.” “It ain’t easy to get to those places,” Barkley said. Everybody’s like, ‘Who’s the Asian dude over there?’ I just started laughing and I said, ‘That’s my boy, Lin.’ They’re, like, ‘How do you know him?’ I said, ‘It’s a long story.’”īarkley was appreciative of Wang making the trip. “You know, it was obviously a very difficult time,” Barkley said. The two became such great friends that Lin even flew down to Alabama to console Charles when Barkley’s mother had passed away. And then we actually went back to the bar and just sit there and talked for another couple of hours. Let’s go to dinner.’ It turned into a two-hour dinner. Before we know it, we looked at each other, like, ‘Yo, man, I’m hungry. ![]() And we just sit down and started talking. “And me and your dad were the only two people in there. I was just sitting at the bar,” Barkley told Shirley. “I was in Sacramento speaking at a charity event. Lin Wang’s daughter Shirley, wrote a story narrating the love Charles Barkley shared for his friend Lin. “It gives my great memories and joy to know that I was a friend of Lin Wang”: Charles Barkley
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