When Charles Barkley’s mother, Charcey Glenn, passed away in June 2015, Barkley’s hometown of Leeds, Alabama, came to the funeral to pay respects. But there was also an unexpected guest.<\/p>\n
Barkley\u2019s friends couldn\u2019t quite place him. He wasn\u2019t a basketball player, he wasn\u2019t a sports figure and he wasn\u2019t from Barkley\u2019s hometown. Here\u2019s what I can tell you about him: he wore striped, red polo shirts tucked into khaki shorts and got really excited about two-for-one deals. He was a commuter. He worked as a cat litter scientist in Muscatine, Iowa. In short, he was everyone\u2019s suburban dad. More specifically, he was my dad.<\/p>\n
“You know, it was obviously a very difficult time,” Barkley told me recently. “And the next thing I know, he shows up. Everybody\u2019s, like, ‘Who\u2019s the Asian dude over there?’ I just started laughing. I said, ‘That\u2019s my boy, Lin.’ They\u2019re, like, ‘How do you know him?’ I said, ‘It\u2019s a long story.’ ”<\/p>\n
Read or listen to it all<\/a>.<\/p>\n After Charles Barkley\u2019s mother passed away, a cat litter scientist from Iowa showed up at the funeral.<\/p>\n \u201cEverybody\u2019s, like, \u2018Who\u2019s the Asian dude over there?\u2019 \u201c Barkley recalls. \u201cI said, \u2018That\u2019s my boy, Lin.\u2019 “https:\/\/t.co\/kN7BctAcUf<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NPR’s Only A Game (@OnlyAGameNPR) December 15, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n