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Before reaching the pinnacle of success in their respective professions, Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum and Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk were childhood friends in St. Louis.
The duo reunited for Sunday’s game between the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers, where they showed off their respective trophies, threw out the first pitch and recreated their viral childhood photo:
St. Louis Cardinals @Cardinals
How it started ➡️ How it’s going.
Jayson Tatum and Matthew Tkachuk reunited with childhood classmate Jacob B. to recreate their famous bus photo at the ballpark today!#ForTheLou pic.twitter.com/Y0ty2mIdf0
St. Louis Cardinals @Cardinals
The champs are here! 🏆
STL’s own Jayson Tatum and Matthew Tkachuk bringing the hardware back to The Lou today!#ForTheLou pic.twitter.com/BvKnaMQSrp
Bally Sports Midwest @BallySportsMW
St. Louis’s own! Matthew Tkachuk and Jayson Tatum enjoy a warm welcome home and throw the ceremonial first pitches together. #STLCards pic.twitter.com/ahLri7ynKa
Tatum and Tkachuk both attended Chaminade Prep in St. Louis. They even appeared in a video together about why they chose the school:
Tkachuk joined the U.S. National Development Team and left Chaminade after the ninth grade.
Fast-forward to 2024, and Tatum led the Celtics to the NBA championship and Tkachuk helped lead the Panthers to the Stanley Cup. It’s the first championship of both their careers, respectively.
Tkachuk discussed the bond he still shares with Tatum and the support they received from their hometown before Florida’s Stanley Cup victory.
“Yeah it’s actually really cool when you think about it,” Tkachuk told Tracey Myers of NHL.com. “Everyone from St. Louis, whether they were going to watch or not, with having both of us in, I’d say there’s a lot of people, especially the kids we grew up with and families and people who know us, they’re pulling for both teams. It’s super cool to have that support back home for not only myself, but for the Celtics as well.”
Tatum is also coming off a gold medal run with Team USA at the Paris Olympics this summer, the second Olympic gold medal of his career.
The former high school classmates will continue to be motivated by one another as they chase more success in their respective careers.
