HOUSTON — On Wednesday morning, recently drafted Rockets rookies Tari Eason, Jabari Smith Jr., and TyTy Washington joined a range of entertainers from the team in welcoming students and faculty from Silvercrest Elementary to their first day of school.
Silvercrest is located in Pearland, Texas, a suburb approximately 20 miles south of downtown Houston.
Clutch the Bear, the Clutch City Dancers, and the Sonic Boom Drumline were all on hand to cheer on the children as they arrived. The Rockets offered tickets to their first preseason home game (Oct. 2 versus San Antonio) to the entire school, staff included.
“It was exciting,” Eason said of the Silvercrest experience. “It brought back a lot of memories, with the first day of school. I’ve got a brother this age, he’s in elementary school.”
“It just takes me back. When I was a kid, it would be a blessing for me to see… someone who I wanted to be. A successful basketball player, outside my school, to greet me before the first day.”
Check out video footage of the event below.
This is awesome. The Rockets gave away tickets to their first preseason game to an entire elementary school, including staff. Imagine being a kid and experiencing this. pic.twitter.com/aC0i7UfHue
— ClutchFans (@clutchfans) August 17, 2022
.@jabarismithjr, @tytywashington3, and @TAR13ASON visited Silvercrest Elementary this morning to welcome kids to their first day of school and surprise them with tickets to the first preseason game against the Spurs. pic.twitter.com/s4gNShxlVY
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) August 17, 2022