Whenever the NBA stars take a trip to China, there’s always that one custom that has been followed – scaling the Great Wall of China. Following the footsteps of Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, and Chris Bosh, the stars of today did the same in their latest visit to the country. Jayson Tatum, Luka Doncic, Zion Williamson, and Paolo Banchero teamed up during their adventure at one of the 7 wonders of the world. But things took an uncomfortable turn.

In a video surfaced on social media, Jayson Tatum is seen revealing his phobia of heights. Zion claimed he was feeling hot from scaling the monument while Doncic was walking with a stick. His father even dropped a ball that rolled all the way down, adding to their dismay. The group was there for their shoot with the Jordan Brand as a part of their latest promotion campaign.

Ultimately, things turned out well as the crew completed their mission to get some sleek snaps for future Jordan Brand campaigns. The athletes on the tour have a packed schedule with visits to Jordan World of Flight Beijing Sanlitun, the Next Stop Dongdan streetball tournament finals, and youth basketball camps in Shanghai and Beijing, expanding the NBA appeal in the Asian market.

Jayson Tatum and Co. will have some more fun interactions there, revealing such facts of their lives. The Celtics forward is on a high after his back-to-back success on both domestic and international levels, but that doesn’t mean nothing in life brings out his vulnerable emotions. They might be worshipped as cult figures by their fans but after all, the hoopers are humans.

Jayson Tatum opened up about his biggest fear growing up, revealing a more humane side

Jayson Tatum reached the top of the NBA food chain coming from a humble background. Tatum was raised by his single mother, Brandy Cole, in St. Louis. She worked multiple jobs to make ends meet while also attending college classes and looking after a young Tatum. Now 2024, Tatum is a world champion, has a multi-million-dollar contract, and is one of the faces of the league. But to reach this point, he had to overcome his biggest fear.

In an interview with Beyond Your Limits, Tatum looked back to the chapter in his life spent in St. Louis. The area has always been notorious for its crime rate, gang violence, and shady businesses, making it a rough neighborhood to survive in. “I tell people my biggest fear all the time was just growing up in Saint Louis, just being at the wrong place in the wrong time. And I was that was, like, making it out….It’s real. Like, being at the wrong place at the wrong time is scary, especially, you know, back in St. Louis. So I thank God every day I, you know, I was able to live up my dream,” Tatum said.

Cole moved out of her mother’s place with Tatum when he was 11. She bought a tiny two-bedroom, 900-square-foot house in St. Louis to find some comfort. But that did not stay for long, as Tatum one day found a notice of foreclosure at their front door. So after surviving the tough childhood and making it out of St. Louis to establish himself as one of the finest basketball players in the world, acrophobia is probably not something that would deter Tatum from his path to greatness.