By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
Former NBA player and University of Washington standout Bobby Ray Jones Jr. returned to Seattle to give back to the community that helped shape him. Partnering with Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic (OBCC), Jones hosted a wellness workshop aimed at promoting physical health, mental resilience, and literacy among local children and their families.
Held at OBCC’s Lenny Wilkens Gym, the event featured Jones reading his children’s book, Yoga Bob: The Boy Who Brought Light to the Night, followed by a high-energy session combining yoga and basketball. The event was part of Jones’s larger initiative, Grow, Unwind and Connect, a nonprofit dedicated to introducing wellness practices to underserved communities around the world.
“We’re hosting a Grow, Unwind and Connect Wellness Workshop today,” said Jones. “I run a nonprofit called Grow Unwind and Connect. It’s a global wellness initiative.”
Jones spent 15 years playing professional basketball, including stints with six NBA teams and over a decade competing in Italy. After returning to Seattle, where he played college ball at the University of Washington, he found a new passion.
“I fell in love with yoga,” he said. “I took all the discipline I had from basketball and put it into a yoga practice, became a teacher, and realized that the next chapter of my life would be about normalizing yoga in schools, with athletes, families, and underserved communities around the world.”
His connection to the city and its youth runs deep.
“Since I went to the UW, I volunteered at Children’s Hospital playing basketball,” he added. “I wanted to come back and do something here.”
To bring his vision to life, Jones enlisted the help of old teammates and community supporters.
“I reached out to a couple of teammates, and they loved the idea,” he said. “I called in some favors from Nate Robinson, Lenny Wilkens and a couple of partners. We’re giving them some food and some gifts and hopefully a positive seed of wellness that they will take with them as they get older.”
The day was filled with laughter and learning as children practiced yoga poses, improved their basketball skills, and heard uplifting messages from their role models. Former Seattle SuperSonics player and coach Lenny Wilkens spoke about the importance of empowering youth.
“First off, this is important for young people—they are tomorrow’s doctors, lawyers, politicians, entertainers,” said Wilkens. “So, we have to do what we can to encourage them to be a part of the community, take part, be active, and let them know that they mean something, that they count.”
“As a youngster, I was always made to feel that I counted, and the guy that did that was Jackie Robinson,” added Wilkens. “I was into baseball before basketball, which is unbelievable. But I wanted to make a difference, I wanted to be active in my community. I wanted to make a difference and that makes me feel good.”
As the gym buzzed with activity, Nate Robinson, a former NBA player and fellow University of Washington alum, arrived to lend his support.
“For me, it’s always great to give back,” said Robinson. “On top of that, somebody like Bobby Jones, someone who I think so highly of—we came together at the UW, Coach Romar’s first recruit—that’s my brother. He asked me to come and speak and be around, and to me, that was a no-brainer.”
Robinson emphasized the value of showing up for friends and being part of efforts to uplift the community.
“When you love somebody and he’s your brother, you’ll do whatever it takes,” he said. “So I am here because it is always good to give back, especially what he is doing—teaching kids to relax and breathe and doing yoga—this is very important.”
“They need this. They are learning to achieve and just changing the culture. We need to go back to how we grew up—being outside, exercising, doing the things we were taught. Read to achieve. And it’s cool to be a geek, being smart, making the right decisions. It’s a cool thing to do. Anything that Bobby has going, I am here to support.”
Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic, a longstanding pillar of pediatric care in the Puget Sound region, played a vital role in making the event a success. Dr. Shaquita L. Bell, OBCC’s senior medical director, highlighted the importance of broadening the definition of health and introducing children to holistic practices early in life.
“We are out here on this beautiful June Monday bringing in some athletes and some organizations like Grow, Unwind and Connect, Rise Above, and Odessa Brown,” said Bell. “We’re here to help kids understand the connections between mindfulness, their bodies, yoga, sports, and how we can all meet together in moving our bodies. It is really exciting to see the many ways we can live a healthy life.”
“It’s not just about medications or vaccines—it’s about being present, knowing what you are capable of, and having fun. I love it, it’s exciting,” added Bell.
