Baylor point guard Pierre Jackson does a good deed for a young fan
When Baylor's Pierre Jackson was shopping at a Champs Sports in Waco last weekend, the senior point guard overheard a mother telling her son the sneakers he wanted to buy were too expensive.
Jackson could easily have forgotten the conversation and gone about his day. Instead, he generously decided to see if he could help.
Upon introducing himself to Bridgette Johnson and her 12-year-old son James, Jackson discovered he and James both had similar-sized feet. As a result, Jackson asked Johnson's permission to give James a couple pairs of basketball shoes Baylor players received last season.
"He gave my son a pair of LeBron James shoes and some Adidas sneakers that still had the price tag on them," Johnson said. "I couldn't believe it. It's just such a treat because you don't see young men with such a spirit. I told my own children, it wasn't about the shoes. It was about the gesture he made."
Part of the reason Jackson wanted to give his shoes away was because he's a longtime sneaker head who could identify with James' plight. Linda Allen, Jackson's grandmother who raised him and his three siblings on the east side of Las Vegas, often had to tell him the basketball shoes he wanted cost too much when they went shopping.
"It's crazy how something soo small like a pair of shoes can have that big of an affect on someone's life, Jackson tweeted Jackson.
Johnson actually had no idea who Jackson was prior to their meeting Wednesday night, but her sons were well aware of Baylor's high-flying point guard. James bragged to all his friends in seventh grade this week that he got his shoes from Pierre Jackson.
Of course, Jackson will be getting something for his generosity besides just good karma.
"I told him anytime he needed a home-cooked meal while he was here in Waco, come see me," Johnson said. "He's like, 'Yes, maam, I love pork chops.' So we've got a pork chop dinner coming up sometime soon."
(Thanks, College Basketball Nation)
