Jayson Tatum Surprised Kids In His Hometown St. Louis With A Brand New State Of The Art Basketball Gym And They Think "It's The Best Thing Ever"

St. Louis Dispatch - 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.”

Tatum was once a kid there, too. He played basketball at Mathews-Dickey Club, also called Boys & Girls Club of Greater St. Louis.

“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.”

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.

I thought this was a really heartwarming story just furthering what a good dude Jayson Tatum is. 

Admittedly, I have been really hard on the kid the past few seasons. I've always thought that Jaylen Brown is the heart and soul of that Celtics team, and it drove me nuts that he played in Tatum's shadow constantly. It drove me even more nuts watching Tatum's nuts shrivel up and shrink when it was crunch time in the playoffs. All that changed this season. 

Guy silenced all the critics, and haters. (Escept for that punk ass bitch Steve Kerr.) 

But seeing the composure Tatum displayed all season, post season, and this past month in France putting his ego aside, being the ultimate team-player and sacrificing personal success and acclaim for his country and team really spoke volumes. 

Then finding out he found the time last week to get back to St. Louis and do this for these kids and really make their summer was really awesome. 

There is no way for an athlete to get on my good side and make me a big fan faster than when they step up and do something good for their community. Jayson Tatum is the man. 

p.s. - still blows my mind him and Matt Tkachuk were buddies in high school and each had the past year they had.