Gary Payton II advocates for equal treatment of young children with Dyslexia
Earlier this week a peaceful rally was held outside of California’s city hall to motivate the Senate to pass a screening bill that would help identify students with dyslexia at an early age. And in attendance was Warrior’s guard Gary Payton II as he gave his full support to the bill because like some of the kids in the audience, he too struggled with dyslexia growing up.
He is one of only a few NBA players to publicly say so and the reveal has been met with swarming amounts of encouragement and support. Receiving thousands of kind words and stories from families all across the country, as he has become a recent fan favorite in many households.
His attendance at the rally wasn’t his first public display of helping people with dyslexia, as he has taken pictures and talked to fans at Chase Center with the learning disability and personally visited schools that house children that struggle with it and read books to them out loud. That display alone motivated many kids to look up to Payton as they saw someone who was in the same boat as them be able to read fluently and have success outside of the classroom. All of his work in the community allowed him to receive the NBA Cares January Community Assist Award because he had been active in all aspects of the community, especially meeting with and inspiring kids struggling with major illnesses.
But Payton understood that in order to truly help he had to be more hands-on, so hopefully him attending the rally will motivate the Senate to pass the bill that will help kids like him at a younger age. It just makes sense if you start helping kids earlier then they will have a better chance at living a longer dyslexic-free life. Luckily for GP2 he overcame his dyslexia after being diagnosed at eight years old, but his goal is to help as many kids as possible and show them that they can accomplish anything they set their mind to.
That mindset was key to his jump to success in the league as he went undrafted, spending around six years jumping from team to team, even having a few stints in the G-League. But he kept working and working, perfecting his craft, building a name for himself until someone was willing to bet on him. That someone was the Warriors and although they waived him before the deadline, they immediately brought him back a few days later and guaranteed his one-million-dollar contract for this season. His determination and willingness to never give up is why young fans look up to him. He knows that his situation is unique, so he is trying to make the most out of it as he continues his inspirational journey as a Warrior in the NBA.
Learn more about dyslexia here.
And consider supporting organizations like The Dyslexia Foundation that are geared towards getting dyslexic children the help they deserve.
(Photo credit: Noah Graham Credit: NBAE via Getty Images)