Jayson Tatum and Matthew Tkachuk Recreate Their Iconic School Bus Photo of Childhood
Jacob Bai, a former classmate, also participated in the photo shoot with the athletes.
Jayson Tatum, an NBA sensation, and Matthew Tkachuk, an NHL player, both of whom are from St. Louis, reunited to recreate a childhood photograph.
On Sunday, August 18, the St. Louis Cardinals published a new photograph featuring Tkachuk, a forward for the Florida Panthers, and Tatum, a guard for the Boston Celtics. The image was captured at Busch Stadium during the Cardinals’ home game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Tatum, who is now 26 years old, is depicted in the original photograph beaming in a vibrant orange shirt to the right of Tkachuk, who is also 26 years old and is gazing intently at the camera in a blue-striped polo shirt. In the meantime, their classmate Jacob Bai is peering into the rear 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.”
In June 2024, during the Celtics and Panthers’ postseason campaigns, the picture became viral for the first time. People, including his father and friends on Snapchat, couldn’t help but notice Bai, the third head behind the boys, after it reappeared, according to Clutch Points.
The picture was shared by Bai’s friends and family as well as during the NBA and Stanley Cup Finals, when Tatum and Tkachuk won their respective titles. On June 24, Tkachuk’s Florida Panthers triumphed against the Edmonton Oilers. On June 17, Tatum’s Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks as well.
The 2024 version of the picture was taken prior to the start of the Cardinals vs. Dodgers game. At their meeting at Busch Stadium, Tatum and Tkachuk each received a red City Connect jersey with their numbers and names on it.
According to Clutch Points, Bai and his fiancée, Rachel Anne Ramos, were flown out by the Cardinals from San Diego to St. Louis in order to recreate the shot with the sportsmen.
The two sportsmen went up to a suite to meet with Bai and retake their shot after throwing the ceremonial first pitches. They put out copies of the old photo so that they could be compared with the new one.
Tkachuk revealed to media during the Stanley Cup Final Media Day in early June that he had been following Tatum’s games during the NBA Playoffs, ahead of their reunion.
“Yeah, it’s actually really cool when you think about it,” he said, according to NHL.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.”
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