The Boston Celtics have a long tradition of giving back to the city they play their NBA basketball in, and reserve forward Jordan Walsh helped keep that tradition going with a back-to-school event held this past Thursday (Sep. 3) that saw 15 youths from the area treated to a shopping spree at a local sporting goods store, as well as free haircuts from Title City Barbers and free sneakers from New Balance.
Walsh has been leading this event annually since he was picked up by Boston in the 2023 NBA Draft. "I think that if you have the opportunity to give back, then you should," offered the DeSoto, Texas native viateam reporter Taylor Snow. "I think there needs to be a lot more people who are going out of their comfort zone, who are in places of power
or in places where they can motivate other people, and use their platform for good."
"It should always be something that you keep in the back of your mind because you weren’t born at the top, you weren’t born at the level you’re at," he added. "So if you had to grind to get there, there’s people who are trying to grind get there as well. So you should show your support and love, and try to support them doing the same thing."
Walsh isn't just appreciative of that ethos from afar; he has been applying it to his own journey as a player as well. "It means that instead of just being a guy who comes into the league and is gone after three years, that I have some security to stick around," he said.
"There are bigger things that I want to achieve, but it’s huge keeping that door open to be able to achieve the things that I want to get to," he added. "I want to be able to contribute, and I want to be able to create my own shots (and) ... to be able to be called on when we need to get a bucket, and also still do the same things on defense that I’ve been doing, because that’s what got me here."
"But adding the offensive piece, so I’m a threat at all times and I can get my own bucket if I have to, that is going to further separate me."
Listen to "Havlicek Stole the Pod" on:
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Jordan Walsh on paying it forward, growing his game with Boston Celtics
