On Tuesday afternoon, local kids walked into the north ºüÀêÊÓƵ 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.â€
Tatum was once a kid there, too. He played basketball at Mathews-Dickey Club, also called Boys & Girls Club of Greater ºüÀêÊÓƵ.
“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.â€
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Another childhood dream of Tatum — who grew up in University City and played high school ball at Chaminade — was to appear on the cover of NBA 2K, the beloved video game. After leading the Boston Celtics to the 2024 NBA championship (he scored 31 points with 11 assists in the closeout game), Tatum earned the cover of NBA 2K25. Along with that honor, Tatum got to team up with 2K Foundations, the charitable arm of the video game franchise.
In the past six years, 2K Foundations has renovated 50 basketball courts in American cities, as well as in Kenya, Japan and India. Their latest court was unveiled Tuesday — a glistening, colorful court with greens and blues and reds. There were new basketballs, too. And a scoreboard. And “Ronnie 2K†even showed up.
“(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. So to 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 ºüÀêÊÓƵ.â€
Dozens of kids and their family members attended Tuesday’s ceremony. After the shrieks subsided, Tatum gave a short speech and took questions from the youngsters. He christened the court with a dunk and then posed for a group photo with the kids. Soon, the gym was abuzz with a cacophony of dribbles and rim-clanking from jump shots. It was a hoops haven.
For Tatum, Tuesday was just another adventure in a summer unlike any other. He recently returned from Paris — gold medal in tow. He threw out the first pitch at a Cardinals game, along with Chaminade classmate Matthew Tkachuk, who won the Stanley Cup this summer with the Florida Panthers. And, of course, Tatum cemented his place in NBA history in June. At the age of just 26, the five-time All-Star won a title, along with esteemed teammate Jaylen Brown and the other Celtics.
“It has been a crazy summer,†Tatum said, “Was fortunate enough to win my second gold medal with the national team. … And to finally win NBA championship, that’s something that I’ve been working (toward) for a very, very long time. I’ve gotten extremely close a few times, and finally got over the hump. So that was special. That felt like the weight of the world was off my shoulders after that one.
“We had a hell of a team last year. It was so fun to be a part of that — the journey that we had, how we kind of dominated the regular season and went 16-3 in the playoffs. It looked like it was easy, but it wasn’t. It was hard. Played some really good teams. And it’s exciting to be able to run it back (in 2024-25). Same team coming back — we’re even more motivated to win another one.â€
In the meantime, kids across north ºüÀêÊÓƵ will pretend to win an NBA title on the new Jayson Tatum-inspired court.
And kids across the country will try to win a title as Tatum and the Celtics on NBA 2K25.
“He’s the classic guy that you want on a cover, right?†Singh said. “He is a super-dad. He is the face of the (Boston) franchise. But he’s also a really great human being. I’m really proud of this day. I’ve known him ever since he came in the league. So to get to this moment of being a cover star, a very highly rated player in NBA 2K — and then to build this court with him — is super-exciting.â€