I know some about basketball and not much about video games. But philanthropy I do know, and this week’s Feel-Good Friday combines all three.
Jayson Tatum, the star forward with the Boston Celtics, is all about giving back. The late Kobe Bryant, former L.A. Lakers shooting guard and forward, was Tatum’s mentor and the person he first trained with when Tatum entered the NBA. So, Tatum has not only emulated Bryant in his moves and mentality, but in his philanthropic spirit. Tatum especially loves to give back in his hometown of St. Louis.
On Tuesday afternoon, local kids walked into the north St. Louis gym to discover it was renovated and refurbished, thanks to Jayson Tatum.
And then, as they processed the moment, Tatum himself walked in.
The jaw of 9-year-old Jamar Beverly dropped impossibly fast and improbably low – and with his hands to his face, he made the image from “The Scream” painting look like it was just a minor squawk.
“I never met a basketball superstar before,” Beverly explained after a group picture with the NBA champion and Olympic gold medalist, “so it’s kind of the best thing ever in my life that’s ever happened.”
One of Tatum’s childhood dreams was to appear on the cover of NBA 2K, a video game that he played. When the Celtics won the 2024 NBA Championship, Tatum earned his spot on the cover of NBA 2K25. Coupled with that honor, Tatum was able to team with 2K Foundations, which is the charitable arm for the video game franchise. Part of their charitable work? Renovating basketball courts. This partnership culminated in the renovation and refurbishment of the Matthews-Dickey Club, formerly known as The Boys & Girls Club of Greater St. Louis, where Tatum himself played as a kid.
2K Foundation digital marketing director Ronnie Singh (aka “Ronnie 2K”) also made an appearance at the unveiling.
“(Jayson and I have) gotten to know each other — and I know that philanthropy is a big part of how he builds his life,” said Ronnie Singh, AKA “Ronnie 2K,” who is the famous digital marketing director of 2K (he has one million Instagram followers). “So what better way than to go back to the court that meant so much to his career and rebuild it with him. We worked very closely on the art and the style and what was important to him. …
“I’d say that my biggest thrill of getting to work at this organization is things like today. Jayson would not have got his start if it wasn’t for a court like this to help him.”
.@jaytatum0 linked up with #2KF to refresh a St. Louis court that he grew up hooping on ❤️
Scenes from our #NBA2K25 Cover Star returning to his hometown 📸 pic.twitter.com/9WMFysVDyc
— NBA 2K (@NBA2K) August 23, 2024
Tatum marvels that the visions he had as a child are coming to fruition, and how he is able to help other kids realize their dreams.
“The first time I ever dunked a ball in a game was on this hoop in seventh or eighth grade,” Tatum said to the Post-Dispatch, while gesturing to the basket behind him. “It’s always been important for me to give back. I had this idea — thoughts and visions — when I was younger. Didn’t necessarily know how it would look, but now that I’m in a position where I can impact the places I grew up playing … I can help make things better. You see the reactions of the kids, and they’re excited when they see me, when they see the court. It’s an incredible feeling.”
As Singh said during the event, “[T]o renovate this thing and bring it to a new life, maybe it’s going to inspire the next Jayson Tatum of the NBA to come out through the Boys and Girls Club in St. Louis.”
