Jayson Tatum and Matthew Tkachuk Recreate Their Viral Childhood School Bus Photo

Mar. 15, 2025

Jayson Tatum; Matthew Tkachuk.Photo:Sarah Stier/Getty; Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty

Sarah Stier/Getty; Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty

NBA starJayson Tatumand NHL playerMatthew Tkachuk, who are St. Louis natives, reunited to recreate a photo from their childhood.

In the original photo, Tatum, now 26, is smiling in a bright orange shirt to the right of Tkachuk, also now 26, who is looking seriously at the camera in his blue-striped polo shirt. Meanwhile, their classmate Jacob Bai is peeking in the back as they all sit together on their school bus.

“How it started ➡️ How it’s going,”read the MLB team’s post on X (formerly Twitter). “Jayson Tatum and Matthew Tkachuk reunited with childhood classmate Jacob B. to recreate their famous bus photo at the ballpark today! #ForTheLou.”

The photo first went viral in June 2024, during the Celtics' and Panthers' postseason runs. Once it resurfaced, people couldn’t help but notice the third head behind the boys, Bai, including his father and friends on Snapchat, perClutch Points.

Along with Bai’s friends and family sharing the photo, it was shared during the Stanley Cup Final and NBA Finals, where bothTkachuk and Tatum took home their respective trophies. Tkachuk’sFlorida Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilerson June 24. Tatum’s Celtics also were victorious over the Dallas Mavericks on June 17.

Matthew Tkachuk and Jayson Tatum at Busch Stadium in St Louis on Aug. 18, 2024.Dilip Vishwanat/Getty

Dilip Vishwanat/Getty

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The 2024 iteration of the photo occurred before the Cardinals-Dodgers game began. Both Tatum and Tkachuk met at Busch Stadium and were gifted red City Connect jerseys featuring their names and numbers.

After the two professional athletes threw the ceremonial first pitches, they headed up to a suite to meet up with Bai and recreate their photo. In the new photo, they also held up copies of the original image for comparison.

Jayson Tatum on June 17, 2024. Matthew Tkachuk on June 24, 2024 in Sunrise, Florida.Jim Poorten/NBAE via Getty Images; Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images

Jim Poorten/NBAE via Getty Images; Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images

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Ahead of their reunion, Tkachuk told reporters at the Stanley Cup Final Media Day in early June thathe was watching Tatum’s games throughout the NBA Playoffs.

“Yeah, it’s actually really cool when you think about it," he said, according toNHL.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.”

source: people.com