【Deborah Driggs Archives】

Here I am,Deborah Driggs Archives sitting at my work desk on a Saturday and sobbing uncontrollably.

The social media savvy among you might be noticing a lot of posts mentioning a story about former NBA star Charles Barkley and his friend, Lin Wang. I'm here to tell you that you should listen to all this unasked-for advice and read that story.

It's from WBUR, a Boston public radio station. Wang's daughter, Shirley, sat down and described her dad's unusual relationship with Barkley in an appearance on the station's weekly Only A Game sport show, which aired Friday. (It's available in both audio and text form.)

I don't want to spoil the whole thing; this is Shirley's story to tell, after all. But here's the setup: Barkley randomly connected with the senior Wang when the two were both in Sacramento on separate business some years back. They hit it off and remained in contact from that point on.

Shirley's moving account chronicles the seemingly mismatched friendship between the two men. The purity of their bond is revealed in the words and actions of both her father, whom she introduces as a "cat litter scientist," and Barkley himself. Their love for one another is evident.

Even if you have a sense of where the story might be headed, I encourage you to read the whole thing. This is about so much more than an unlikely friendship, and stands as a refreshing reminder for these troubled times that connecting with strangers doesn't always have to be fraught and terrifying.

The internet clearly agrees.

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