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Jayson Tatum Sent Classy Gift to Alma Mater Duke Ahead of March Madness

Tatum sent a thoughtful gift to his alma mater before March Madness.

Eva Geitheim

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum.
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum. / John Jones-Imagn Images
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Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum showed some support for his alma mater, Duke, ahead of March Madness. Prior to the start of the tournament, Tatum, who played one season at Duke from 2016-17, sent pairs of his Jordan Brand shoes to each player on the Duke women's basketball team.

Blue Devils coach Kara Lawson announced the gift to the team saying Tatum is her favorite NBA player because he's a winner. She went on to say: "I admired him. He admires you guys too. He sent you some of his shoes."

The team cheered in response to the gesture from Tatum. Duke guard Emma Koabel was seen saying, "thank you!"

Guard Taina Mair said, "Ay, special shoutout to Jayson Tatum for sending some shoes. The home team baby! We appreciate it! Thank you."

Duke is making their third consecutive March Madness appearance and holds a No. 2 seed as they seek their first national championship win. They will make their 2025 NCAA Tournament debut on Friday against No. 15 Lehigh. If they win, they will go on to face the winner of Oregon-Vanderbilt next.

The men's team, ranked highly as well as a No. 1 seed, will also play their first game of the tournament on Friday, going up against No. 16 Mount St. Mary's.

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Eva Geitheim
EVA GEITHEIM

Eva Geitheim is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in December 2024, she wrote for Newsweek, Gymnastics Now and Dodgers Nation. A Bay Area native, she has a bachelor's in communications from UCLA. When not writing, she can be found baking or re-watching Gilmore Girls.

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