NBA veteran Thomas Bryant shows he hasn't forgotten he's from Rochester

NBA veteran Thomas Bryant wants to remain reachable to the Rochester community.

Children seemingly used the 6-foot-10 center as a jungle gym when his annual Thomas Bryant Basketball Camp concluded Friday at the YMCA of Greater Rochester's Chester F. Carlson Metrocenter, the same gym the former Bishop Kearney star honed his skills at while growing up in the area.

Long before winning an NBA championship with the Denver Nuggets, Bryant watched the Rochester RazorSharks of the American Basketball Association, and begged his mom for Harlem Globetrotters autographs. He admired all of Rochester's professional sports teams, but that connection to a local NBA player was something Bryant wishes he had.

"I wish I can touch the kids like those guys touched me. It's a real surreal moment. To share something like that with these kids that probably don't get that opportunity means so much to me, because I never got this opportunity when I was younger," said Bryant, who signed with the Miami Heat this summer.

"So in order for an NBA player to come back to a place that so called, 'never produced anything' . ... Giving back to my community, to the people I grew up with, that means so much more."

Thomas Bryant Basketball Camp

At the conclusion of the week-long camp, Bryant autographed basketballs for all of his Camper of the Week recipients.

The Thomas Bryant Basketball Camp ran Monday, Aug. 21, to Friday, Aug 25. It was free for kids in the 12th grade and younger. Bryant's mother was on hand as he took selfies with every camper with a cellphone handy. They asked Bryant who his favorite NBA coach is, about being teammates with LeBron James when he broke the scoring record, and winning a championship with Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.

"It's super surreal just to give back to the community in a basketball camp, and do it to where somewhere I grew up and spent so much time. It means a lot to me," Bryant said.

Fairport seventh-grader Leah Dukes appreciated Bryant's tips on paint presence, shot blocking and work ethic.

"I learned that if you want to be a good basketball player, you have to work for it. You have to achieve your goals and never give up," Dukes said.

Saniyya Willis, a 13-year-old Bay Trail student came to the Thomas Bryant Basketball Camp last year. She encouraged kids to bring friends, and said Bryant influenced her to practice more.

"My favorite thing is probably all the inclusion and how everyone interacts with each other," Willis said.

Bryant stuck around Rochester for the weekend. He spent time on the court with kids of the Boys & Girls Club of Rochester when he visited Saturday. He's very proud to be a role model, and to have fellow Rochester natives like Isaiah Stewart and Anthony Lamb in the NBA.

"I always represent Rochester to the fullest," Bryant said. "This is where I'm from. This is where I grew up. Just to be able to put that on the map a little bit more, and guys putting on even more, jus broadens the horizons, get more recognition. it means a lot."

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Thomas Bryant returns to Rochester NY for annual basketball camp