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Dilip Vishwanat/Getty; Jayson Tatum/Instagram
Jayson Tatum enjoyed a special moment in his hometown with his son.
On Tuesday, the NBA forward, 25, and son Jayson "Deuce" Christopher, 5, took the mound at Busch Stadium as the St. Louis Cardinals faced off against the Minnesota Twins.
Father and son wore matching Cardinals jerseys as they appeared, with Deuce happily hopping around as his dad threw the ceremonial pitch.
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The day prior, the father-son duo visited a community center in the St. Louis area, where Tatum gave out school and sporting supplies via the Jayson Tatum Foundation.
Sharing scenes from the event on X, he wrote, "STL hero was all I ever wanted to be 🤞🏽."
Tatum was 19 when he welcomed his son Deuce, who has since become a big hit with the Celtics and with players across the NBA. Tatum shares Deuce with ex-girlfriend Toriah Lachell.
The NBA star, who had Deuce in December 2017 just six months after he was drafted by the Celtics, spoke about being a role model as a dad and his close bond with his son in a press conference in June.
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"I think 2017 when I got drafted, I didn't have Deuce, but he was born in 2017 so that was big, that was the biggest year of my life, right? Starting this new chapter in my career, I just had a child," Tatum explained.
"My mindset was not to sacrifice either, that I was going to be the best father as I could as well as the best basketball player," the Boston Celtics star continued. "There was no guideline or there was no exact way to do it. It was all about what was natural."
"I just do what's natural. I'm around him every day. I think being able to go through this journey together, because I was 19 when I got drafted, it's kind of like we're growing up together," Tatum noted. "As he's gotten older, I'm going through my career, sharing these moments, experiencing this together as we grow up. I think it's the coolest part for me."