Devin Vassell Surprises Harlandale High School: New Shoes for Both Varsity Teams and a $10,000 Donation on the South Side

San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell surprised the varsity basketball teams at Harlandale High School on the South Side on Monday, arriving unannounced in the school auditorium with brand-new shoes for both teams and a $10,000 donation to the school's athletic program, according to Sports Illustrated's Spurs On SI report of the visit, read in full this cycle. The boys received Book 2s and the girls A'ja Wilson's Nike A'Twos; Vassell partnered with Dick's Sporting Goods on the donation, and his parents, Cynthia and Andrew Sr., joined him to hand out the shoes.

'They were probably some beaters,' Vassell said of his own first basketball shoes, as quoted by Spurs On SI. 'My mom's always preached to give back,' he said after the appearance. 'Being here in San Antonio, in the community, the fans are amazing. For me, the biggest thing is to be able to give back.' One Harlandale girls player, fighting back tears in KSAT coverage quoted in the report, said some parents cannot afford the shoes and that the gift 'is a big thing' for a South Side school.

The Harlandale visit is the latest in a run of San Antonio givebacks the report catalogs: last December Vassell partnered with Raising Cane's on its annual Holiday Bike Giveaway, delivering bicycles and helmets to children, and in May he held a meet-and-greet at a Panda Express before the Spurs' playoff run. 'The game is bigger than just basketball,' Vassell said, as quoted in the report. 'I want my legacy to live on by not just being a basketball player, but being a great person in the community, a great role model.'