SAN ANTONIO — Tarris Reed Jr. still remembers the dread of trudging through Walmart aisles in early August, hunting for notebooks and pencils. Back then, it was a chore he shared with his mother, Darlene, a ritual that marked the end of summer. "I hated it," the San Antonio Spurs rookie admitted, recalling those annual trips two weeks before school started. But on Saturday, Reed found himself at Frost Bank Center, not as a reluctant shopper, but as a volunteer at the team's fifth annual Back to School Bash. Alongside fellow rookies Ja'Kobi Gillespie, Maliq Brown, and Jayden Quaintance, he spent the afternoon handing out school supplies to local families. The free event, which has drawn over 14,000 attendees across five years, provides a wide range of services: backpacks, notebooks, health screenings, haircuts, and information on extracurricular activities, enrollment, and family mental health support. Patricia Mejia, Spurs Sports and Entertainment's Chief Impact & Inclusion Officer, spearheaded the effort and was on-site to greet families. "It's incredible to see young families come in and see who they might see," Mejia said, gesturing to the players. "Seeing what backpacks they might get. It's really exciting. Every student deserves to begin the school year with the tools and confidence they need to succeed." For Reed, the task was simple: he was in charge of pencils. But the joy it brought him this year far outweighed the childhood monotony. "My job today was pencils," he said with a smile. "I've been giving out pencils. It's just been fun seeing the smiles on kids' faces. They're seeing us, we're making their world." The rookies' appearance marked their first since the end of Summer League in Las Vegas, where the Summer Spurs, led by assistant coach Corliss Williamson, finished with a 4-1 record. Since then, they've shifted their focus to training camp, which begins at the end of September. Williamson, even from afar, understands the significance of these community moments. "You hear a lot about the Spurs' organization from the outside," he said in Las Vegas, "but to actually be within it, experience it, it's wonderful. The Spurs do everything the right way." Reed agreed wholeheartedly. Reflecting on his own childhood, he realized the lesson he learned while handing out pencils: those Walmart trips with his mother were more than a chore. "The more I look back," he said, "those times with my mom make it great to be here." The event underscored the Spurs' long-standing commitment to community engagement, a tradition that extends beyond the court. For the rookies, it was a chance to connect with the city they now call home, one pencil at a time.