'OMG. This.' Here's why Charles Barkley is trending today (Hint: It's getting something in everybody's eyes)

You might have noticed that Charles Barkley is trending on Twitter today, and it’s for a very touching reason:

After Charles Barkley’s mother passed away, a cat litter scientist from Iowa showed up at the funeral.

“Everybody’s, like, ‘Who’s the Asian dude over there?’ “ Barkley recalls. “I said, ‘That’s my boy, Lin.’ "https://t.co/kN7BctAcUf

— NPR's Only A Game (@OnlyAGameNPR) December 15, 2018

Barkley’s friendship with a man named Lin Wang is making a lot of people reach for the boxes of tissues today:

Never thought I'd get misty over a story about Charles Barkley's friendship with a Chinese cat litter scientist from Muscatine Iowa, but here we arehttps://t.co/vd4muXGfWo

— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) December 15, 2018

This is as wonderful as everyone is saying: https://t.co/rt7JeY2Hoi

— Craig Silverman (@CraigSilverman) December 15, 2018

Read the whole story here:

Charles Barkley is a wonderful man. A good man. Damn, this story got something in my eye … https://t.co/5pMxwJ7I5m

— Ron Fournier (@ron_fournier) December 15, 2018

May everyone be blessed with one friend like Charles Barkley or Lin Wang. What a beautiful story… https://t.co/2ER84FZC6e

— Carol Roth (@caroljsroth) December 15, 2018

Omg. This. Don’t have to care about hoops or Barkley. Read it and remember our shared humanity. https://t.co/KGoXnopz4V

— Neal Katyal (@neal_katyal) December 15, 2018

I’ll never forget this piece or that it led to this exchange with my wife. “Ugh, what’s making you cry now?” “A story about Charles Barkley” https://t.co/KuKta3HzC9

— Seth Meyers (@sethmeyers) December 15, 2018

A beautiful reminiscence about life and death and friendship that you should make time for. (And keep tissues nearby).

https://t.co/8vJkZDJFP2

— Heidi N. Moore (@moorehn) December 15, 2018

This is just a shot of pure joy and sunshine and love. Do yourself a favor and read this. https://t.co/jKH9R2piLB

— Jay Cohen (@jcohenap) December 15, 2018

"It was not just a relationship with a celebrity — it shed light on the possibilities of this world. A world where someone like him could just say something cool, something charming, and befriend someone like Charles Barkley." https://t.co/Kkd9u5QW6n

— Debbie Too (@debbietoo) December 15, 2018

I can’t stop crying. This story of friendship is so so much. ???

LIN WANG and CHARLES BARKLEY. https://t.co/CdvC79INzL

— Jenny Yang ?????? (@jennyyangtv) December 15, 2018

Here is video of Charles Barkley speaking at Lin Wang’s funeral.

Amazing story and powerfully written by the author: https://t.co/xVO22xP1mG pic.twitter.com/byCdYfAK7q

— Michael Blevins (@mikeblevins) December 15, 2018

My dad made a slideshow about this friendship. A slideshow!! @OnlyAGameNPR https://t.co/TSnWYCtDF8

— Shirley Wang ? (@shirleyshirlw) December 15, 2018

What a great story.