Warriors' Gary Payton shares stories of dyslexia to help children

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When 12-year-old Jayden Jones becomes overwhelmed by the idea of tackling his schoolwork, he remembers what Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II taught him.

"Never give up."

"Don't be afraid to ask for help."

"Block out the bullies."

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The Bay Area sixth-grader has dyslexia, severe attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and dysgraphia, a neurological disorder that can make writing difficult. At times, he feels completely intimidated at school. Payton's words help him.

The Warriors fan favorite spoke to Jayden and more than 80 other children with learning challenges in December during a video webinar as part of a Read to Achieve event, then the boy got to meet Payton at a recent home game.

"I really appreciated it," Jayden said while sitting courtside at Chase Center on Jan. 18. "He was really encouraging. He said it was hard and he got bullied. He said to ignore the bullies."

Payton understands, because he was that boy years ago. He endured similar lows to reach his recent triumphs with the Warriors and now share his experiences to try to help others.

"Just because you learn a different way than everybody else doesn’t mean you don’t learn," said Payton, who was diagnosed with dyslexia at age 8. "You’ve still got to fight through it. Once you find your way how to learn it, it becomes more clear and more positive."

Payton's mother, Monique Payton, used to require her kids to read 30 minutes every night, not always monitoring them during that time, and she didn't initially know of her son's challenges. It wasn't until Payton's second-grade teacher urged his parents to have him assessed