The
Crossover
It started with his gym teacher.
Most good stories do.
@tristanj22 · YouTube: Tristan Jass · 12.5M+ followers
In the winter of 2017, a kid from Kenosha, Wisconsin named Tristan Jass posted a video on Instagram of himself crossing over his high school gym teacher. The teacher, to his credit, had issued the challenge. The teacher, to his misfortune, did not see what was coming.
The video hit 300,000 views before the week was out. ESPN reposted it. Then SBNation. Then Bleacher Report. By the time a high school gym class on a Tuesday had finished making its way around the internet, Tristan Jass had a decision to make: treat it as a moment, or treat it as a beginning.
He chose the beginning.
"Some say 'impossible.' I say 'IM POSSIBLE.'"
Tristan Jass
Building It
What followed wasn't the typical arc of a teenager who got lucky and cashed out on fleeting fame. Jass built methodically, posting near-daily content for years. Today, at 26, he has over 12.5 million followers across all platforms.
But the more precise way to describe Tristan Jass in 2025 and 2026 is this: he is the NBA's trick shot partner of choice. Post after post in the official @nba feed features @tristanj22 getting an exclusive first look at a new arena, a new court, a historic venue — and somehow making the shot.
A ball from the upper deck of the NBA Finals arena: 100 million plays. From long range in Abu Dhabi during the NBA's global games: 20.5 million plays. Off the top of the Basketball Hall of Fame: "Hall of Fame Shot" — 21.9 million plays. These aren't highlight cameos. These are produced moments that the NBA trusts one person to deliver.
HOW IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE. That's what the NBA writes. That's the brand.
The Arc
Teacher crossover goes viral — ESPN, SBNation, Bleacher Report
5M+ YouTube subscribers
NBA All-Star Celebrity Game — 27 pts, 10 reb, 6 ast
MrBeast vs. Giannis — won $100K, donated it all
Brain surgery — detected, shared publicly, recovered
Vancouver Bandits — pro debut, 28 pts off the bench
The Proof
He played in the 2024 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game in Indianapolis and put up 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists. He could actually play. In a MrBeast challenge, Jass faced Giannis Antetokounmpo for $100,000. He won. He donated the entire amount to charity.
In December 2024, he announced he needed brain surgery to remove a tumor, detected through the annual MRIs he'd been getting for six years. He went public with it. He got the surgery. He came back.
In 2025, the Vancouver Bandits of the Canadian Elite Basketball League signed him to his first professional basketball contract. Training camp, May 6th. Pro debut, May 10th. He finished that first game with 28 points off the bench, including 18 in the first quarter alone. The caption read simply: "Welcome to the show." The clip hit 3.4 million plays.
"He didn't choose YouTube over basketball.
He made YouTube his path back to basketball."
248 Editorial · The Crossover
What He Built and What It Means
The basketball creator economy didn't exist when Tristan Jass started posting. He's one of the reasons it does now. The path he carved — from viral moment to sustained platform to professional validation — requires something that can't be imitated: genuine skill, genuine character, and the patience to build something real over a long period of time.
He still goes home to Kenosha. In December 2024, even as he was preparing for brain surgery, he donated thousands to help Kenosha families at Christmas. The game got global. The roots stayed local.
The crossover was just the first one. Still going. Watch the tape.
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Tristan Jass
Creator, basketball player, Kenosha, WI. 12.5M+ followers. NBA's trick shot partner. Vancouver Bandits, CEBL. Raised and stayed local.
Story No. 07 · Creator · Basketball · Kenosha
By 248 Editorial