On the day he received the regular season MVP, Charles Barkley reached a pinnacle in his basketball career.
He held up the MVP trophy, but there wasn’t much expression on his face, no triumphant smile, nor exaggerated grimace.
He was unusually solemn, shook hands with David Stern, said some routine words of thanks, and then put the MVP trophy back into his locker.
He didn’t want to look at it again until the series was over.
Barkley knew in his heart that the MVP trophy wouldn’t increase his chances of winning the West Finals.
On the contrary, it would decrease because he could feel Ah Gan’s gaze and hear Ah Gan’s inner voice.
How long have they known each other? Almost 10 years, since the 1984 Olympic Training Camp.
Barkley admired Ah Gan’s frankness and charm, that sincerity and naturalness, which made Barkley quite envious.
Barkley knew in his heart how much of his own exhibited ease and recklessness was an act.
Often he needed to act to cover up the smell of poverty from Alabama on him.
He was unruly and had a fiery temper because he didn’t want to be looked down upon, didn’t want to be subject to strange looks because of his skin color and background.
People covered with thorns often have a very soft and fragile body. Since childhood, no true man taught Barkley how to protect himself.
Barkley’s father left little Barkley and his mom when he was one year old, at a time when his mom was not yet 20; they married when they were kids, just out of high school.
Under the push of hormones, they formed a family casually. The man was unable to take on the responsibility of supporting the family and raising children after marriage. He ran, separated, and divorced, leaving a young black mother under 20 to raise a crying baby alone.
Such things happen every day in the African American community in America. Many black children have no father during childhood and, when they grow up, won’t become fathers, continuing what their fathers once did—acting on impulse, leaving a child behind, and fleeing.
Charles Barkley was an exception. He particularly hated irresponsible men because of the lack of a father’s care.
He lived in Leeds, a poor place in Alabama, one of the poorest areas in all of America.
In the 60s and 70s, the place still had good public order, not yet overrun by crime and drugs.
Barkley lived with his mother, grandmother, and step-grandfather. The small town retained the moral style of pre-industrial southern pastoral life.
Neighbors would help each other, people would assist others in taking care of their children, and kids could casually eat and spend the night at others’ homes.
Growing up in such an environment, Barkley was very introverted, mild-tempered, completely unlike the brave and combative person on the court.
As a child, many gave him nicknames like "Big Head" or "Coward."
Barkley was always very shy, never talked to girls, even when he reached dating age, he was still alone.
In high school, Barkley was well received by many girls because of basketball, but at that time he had no interest in women.
In his teens, Barkley was already the pillar of the family. He would do housework and was very neat.
Especially as a boy, he would tidy up the rooms at home every day, making them spotless.
He changed the sheets twice a week and did various house chores except for washing dishes: mopping floors, scrubbing cabinets, unclogging sinks.
He then neatly stacked all the dirty dishes in the kitchen sink and covered them with a clean towel, and his work was done.
He would take care of two brothers (one full brother, one half-brother), and when his mom, exhausted from two jobs, returned home, he would tell them not to disturb her.
The most outrageous thing he did was jumping off the roof wearing a Superman-like red cape, landing face down, bleeding all over, but he didn’t die and recovered soon.
So, when Barkley entered the NBA and acted like a thug on the court, talking trash, fighting, throwing elbows, and being fierce, his mom simply couldn’t believe it was her son.
"This is not my baby Charles," Chasie May said watching her son’s first NBA live broadcast.
In this aspect, Barkley was more like his grandmother, a tough woman who worked in a meat processing plant when she was young.
Thus, Barkley learned to be aggressive to protect himself, just like those poor women who lost their husbands.
A woman’s toughness is often a disguise, an armor life forces them to wear.
When Barkley met Ah Gan, he first felt how a truly tough man stood firm.
His every move and word radiated intimidation, that confidence and ease had nothing to do with height or strength.
Barkley still remembered wanting to challenge Ah Gan to wrestling in the room. He wanted to defeat Ah Gan because that demeanor made him uncomfortable.
At that time, he still didn’t know what was going on, why he harbored anger towards a player in his heart. Was it because of his skin color?
Or was it the innate competitiveness between basketball players? Barkley couldn’t fathom it and didn’t want to think much; he just acted.
And then he lost badly, whether in wrestling or on the basketball court, he was no match.
Ten years of friendship later, Barkley slowly understood what was going on, especially after he had his own family and kids.