Lakers’ Deandre Ayton makes it special day for kids at camp

NEW YORK – The kids lined up on the basketball court at the National Basketball Players Assn. last week, groups from both sides with smiles on their faces, all patiently holding out their arms as they waited for their guest to arrive.

When Lakers center Deandre Ayton looked through the glass and saw those kids, he smiled and shook his head before entering the gym. He walked slowly down the line next to each child, doing his best to slap each hand or at least make eye contact with them.

It was a basketball camp that Ayton and his Ayton Family Foundation came up with in partnership with the NBPA, an event to which the Jamaican and Bahamian consulates contributed by sending about 50 children to participate in on-court activities and a dinner on behalf of Ayton and his family.

“It really fills me up to see their smiles,” Ayton said. “And me being out there. You saw me go against one of them. He’s about 6-4 and he tried to get to me. I’m like, ‘Whoa…Whoa. Bro. I gotta keep those legs strong.’ In about 10 years, they’re going to overthrow me. They’re ready and I love it and they’re so plugged into the game and they know the terminology so I loved it, man.

Some of those kids got to see Ayton play center for the Lakers against the Brooklyn Nets on Feb. 3 at the Barclays Center.

They saw Ayton at his best, shooting three of five from the field for seven points, eight rebounds and three assists.

Lakers center Deandre Ayton (center) elevates for a dunk against the Raptors.

(Kyusung Gong / Associated Press)

During the Lakers’ recent eight-game road trip, Ayton seemingly made every shot. He was 6 of 6 shooting with 13 points against the New York Knicks and 12 of 14 with 28 points against the Washington Wizards.

Shooting a high percentage has been the essence of Ayton’s season: he’s making 67.5 percent of his shots, the second-best mark in the NBA. He averages 13.2 points and 8.5 rebounds.

So, sharing his wisdom with kids about basketball has been cathartic for Ayton.

“Just having guys in my position visiting these camps, they don’t know how much they do for them, just to be in their presence and in their environment. Just giving a kid a high-five, you can feel the power and energy of their enthusiasm,” Ayton said. “They’re on you like white on rice, watching your every move, wanting to know what you’re saying, and it’s so inspiring because I was like that.

“There were guys that came to visit the camps when I was young in the Bahamas and I was just inspired by them and I wanted to know who they are and why they’re so good to make it seem so easy. It’s nothing for me to come back here and do it. It’s just who I am. I want to let them know that they can do it too and no matter how they grew up, anyone can move on and be motivated, motivated too.”

The Lakers spent four days in New York playing the Knicks and Nets. Ayton could have done whatever he wanted in town on two days off.

Lakers center Deandre Ayton takes a short-range shot against the Wizards.

(Nick Wass/Associated Press)

Yet he chose to use some of his free time to help organize a camp for young people, some of whom likely can’t afford to attend.

“I’m not going to lie. I just have no reason to do it,” he said. “It’s just something I wanted to do. I thought it was the time and the right time as well to be in New York and how great the culture is here too. So they know what the Jamaicans and the Caribbean are like. I don’t know. Just having the NBPA behind me and the headquarters here. I think it was just the right place, to be honest.”

Chris Jean, NBPA Associate Vice President for Elite Youth & Basketball Activation, encourages all of his members to give back to the community.

“It just showcases who he is as a player and as a person,” Jean said of Ayton. “He’s doing a lot of great things in Jamaica and the Bahamas and in his community. So it makes all of us feel better and easier to support him.”

Ayton won the NBA Cares Bob Lanier Community Assist Award in November 2025, recognized for his philanthropic efforts to provide hurricane relief in Jamaica and support youth in Los Angeles.

Ayton said his mother, Andrea Ayton, was the backbone of his family and was always doing community work and helping others in the Bahamas.

Her efforts are an extension of her mother.

“Yes, Mom was the one who started this whole thing, these donations, what was feeding the village, being that leader through action,” Ayton said. “I would say her love language was about taking care and feeding the belly, whether you were hungry or not, it didn’t matter. It’s just her showing her love and we’ve gotten to this point where we’re doing more than that. We’re on a platform and a position where we’re so lucky. We can help people financially as well.”

Before Ayton began the exercises with the children at the clinic, dignitaries from the Jamaican and Bahamian consulates presented Ayton with a proclamation, thanking him for his generosity and kindness.

It made his day even more emotional.

“I was stretching in the hallway and stuff like that when I saw the leaders and I met them, I said, ‘Yo, this is bigger than I thought. It’s just not no camp,'” Ayton said. “And then that speech and I was like, ‘Yo, I feel so special.’

“It was a moment that I won’t forget either, everyone was thanking me. It was a lot. It was overwhelming. I’m not going to lie. It was an overwhelming moment that I’m really going to appreciate.”