Los Angeles Lakers forward Juan Toscano-Anderson has had a difficult path to achieving his dreams of becoming an NBA player. After plying his trade in Mexico, having played there professionally for a few years, JTA got his first break in the NBA fringes when he found a home in the Golden State Warriors' G-League affiliate during the 2018-19 season.
In 2019, with the Warriors dealing with the fallout of Kevin Durant's departure and Klay Thompson's long-term injury, Toscano-Anderson was signed to an Exhibit 10 deal, only to get waived before the season began. But with the Warriors' season going nowhere fast, JTA found himself back in Golden State on February 2020, and he has been a part of an NBA roster ever since (with the exception of him being waived on December 2020 just so his deal could be converted into a two-way contract).
Thus, it's awesome to see Juan Toscano-Anderson give back to one of his fans who came to a meet and greet in a WSS Grand Opening event held in Anaheim. After a young Lakers fan posed for a photo with JTA, he informed the Lakers forward that he was set to turn 14 on Tuesday.
The 6'6 forward then asked the boy what he had planned for his birthday, and after the young man replied that he “didn't know” how he was going to celebrate one of the most important occasions of his life, Toscano-Anderson offered him two tickets to a Lakers game, prompting the kid to burst into joy.
shout out to juan toscano-anderson forever, this made me so happy to see pic.twitter.com/fzdX1AY0OV
— Chris Montano (@gswchris) November 6, 2022
Toscano-Anderson, overall, just seems to be one of the nicest people in the NBA, and this sincere gesture is yet another piece of evidence that points to how much he cares about his impact beyond the basketball court. JTA was a finalist for the NBA's inaugural Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion award, losing out to Carmelo Anthony in the end.
Still, Juan Toscano-Anderson has always been outspoken about social issues, promoting racial equality and representation as a half-Black, half-Mexican man. In 2021, JTA mentioned in an interview that one of his goals, beyond succeeding on the court (which he's already done after winning the 2022 NBA championship) is to leave his mark off of it well past his playing years.
“That’s just my ideology. I’m very aware that basketball is going to end one day, so what else am I on this earth to do? It’s not just to play basketball. It’s to impact people’s lives, to give them hope, give them whatever they see in me,” Toscano-Anderson said, per NBC Sports.
And now, JTA has, yet again, impacted one fan's life, giving him a birthday to remember.
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