“That’s my guy (Jayson Tatum). I love him. Yeah, we’ve been talking. Of course. We’re going through the same thing.” Previously, Tyrese Haliburton explained the pain and hardship he and the Celtics superstar are going through this offseason. Tatum tore his Achilles against the Knicks in the second round of the playoffs. Haliburton suffered the same injury a few weeks later in Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Thunder. Their rehab process is already going according to plan, so it was time for a change.

Recently, the two were together at Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City. Not for any basketball event but for one of the year’s most impactful philanthropic events, as REFORM Alliance staged its second Casino Night Gala. During this, more than $20 million was raised for criminal justice reform—matching the success of its inaugural gala. The NBA stars were front and center as they, alongside other invitees, witnessed an exclusive performance from Grammy-award-winning The Weeknd.

Unfortunately, there were no accolades to win for Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum. Taylor Rooks shared some snaps from the evening with the post, “Beautiful night at the @reform alliance gala…coming together to raise money to change a broken system. Great fun and good competition for an outstanding cause. 🫶🏾🃏.” In the carousel post, there was a million-dollar prize for the invitees that NBA stars JT and Haliburton missed out on. In another picture, Rooks shared that she made it to the semifinals and missed out on the prize.

However, it was not just Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum who missed out on the prize. Other NBA stars Karl-Anthony Towns, Devin Booker, and Trey Murphy III also showed up for the black tie gala. JT reshared the post from Taylor Rooks to his Instagram story; meanwhile, Haliburton did the same by resharing the post and another one with his fiancé Jade Jones.

The Pacers superstar wrote, “my love” with a white heart in his story. This was because Jones’ first photo from the post was with her partner, and she added a caption, “Reform Casino Night 💌”.

Struggling with injuries, Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton remember the big picture

Their good deeds are not limited to just gala dinners, but also on the hardwood. Their participation for the next season might be in limbo; however, their spirits are unwavering. JT called the first six weeks after the injury “probably the toughest six weeks of any point in my life.” Yet, just a few weeks ago, he was up and ready to help the next generation. Back in St.Louis, the annual Jayson Tatum Foundation Charity event was in full flow. The charity offers scholarships and mentorship to high schoolers in the city. And even helped the kids with essentials–books and other supplies.

Similarly, even Tyrese Haliburton was back on the basketball court and back on his feet, surrounded by 300-plus eager youth basketball campers. He even hosted the camp for the kids, despite battling the injury. At the time, the Pacers‘ superstar stated,  “I’m walking in my boot, getting closer to walking full time in my shoe, so that’s exciting.” Remember, this was three weeks ago, and now there is another positive update.

“I’m good, I’m good. I’m on two shoes now, so we’re out of the boot, which is nice. I feel like I do a million calf raises a day, but we’re getting there.” The 2x All-Star is out of his precautionary boot, which is a good sign. If you are wondering about JT, then yes, even he was not wearing those boots during his camp.

So, it’s clear that the NBA superstars are focused on their recovery but haven’t forgotten about the bigger picture. Being more than basketball players and giving back to society.