SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) – As a young boy at Antelope Meadows Elementary School, Carolina Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson was shy and unconfident, all because of one crooked tooth.

Now as an adult with six seasons in the NFL under his belt, the 27-year-old is giving back to the community where he grew up. Thompson and TeamSmile recently hosted a free dental clinic on Thursday for students at Fairbanks Elementary School.

“The reason why I started this foundation event was I was just like you guys,” Thompson told a room of third graders. “I wasn’t able to go to dental care and get my teeth cleaned, I didn’t have none of that. I had, and still got a little bit of, a crooked tooth. I didn’t like my smile, I didn’t want to smile, I was just very not confident I would say. This is one of the reasons why I really started this was because once I got to the league, I was able to get my own dental health care and was able to take care of my teeth.

“Because you only got one set and it was very important for me to take care of my teeth and build my confidence back up,” Thompson said to the students. “So that’s kind of really why I started the program was to help people like me when I was younger that didn’t have a lot. I wanted to just help out and give back, show you guys that I care and that you guys have one set of teeth that you need to take care of (and) one gums. It builds a great routine and organization for your life.”

Among the students receiving dental care Thursday was third grader Kai Gallaread, 9, who was extremely pumped up to meet Thompson.

“I’m really excited because he is one of my favorite NFL players of all-time,” Gallaread proclaimed.

The 9-year-old shared a unique perspective on why it’s important to have good dental hygiene.

“Because getting a shot hurts,” Gallaread explained. “And if you don’t want to get a shot in your mouth then you have to take really good care of your teeth.”

Thompson spent the entire school day at Fairbanks on Thursday, visiting with many students. Fifth grader Nehemiah Gramajo, 10, was anticipating Thompson’s arrival at his school and wore a red San Francisco 49ers No. 7 Colin Kaepernick jersey for the occasion. Thompson began wearing No. 7 in the NFL last season, the number he wore while in college at the University of Washington.

“(Dental hygiene is important) because if you don’t take care of your teeth, it’s expensive to fix them again,” Gramajo said after taking a selfie with Thompson.

The six-year NFL veteran not only provided a dental check-up for the students, but also gave out autographed NFL footballs, Gatorade water bottles, electric toothbrushes and T-shirts. 8-year-old third grader Henry Lee was thrilled when he won a signed football in the drawing for his class.

Thompson grew up as the youngest of four boys to single mother Patrice Thompson, known to many as Patty, who passed away in 2019 at 57-years-old. Patty always wanted the best for her boys and moved them from North Highlands to Antelope when Shaq was in elementary school. The 27-year-old linebacker is unsure if he would’ve been holding such an event if his mom were still around.

“She would’ve loved it and probably would’ve been at every event if she could. She was supportive,” Thompson said. “Obviously, if she had still been alive, who knows if I would’ve been doing this right now. She was one of the reasons why I really wanted to do a foundation to give back is to keep her legacy, that’s why it’s called (the) ‘Thompson Legacy Fund,’ it’s really for her.

"She’s the roots of everything of all my brothers and everything of how we (are) still here (and) survived what we went through. She was the roots of it so that’s why one of my focuses is ‘know your roots’ of where you’re from.”

Thompson has grown up a lot since he was that shy and unconfident kid with a crooked tooth. Now as an adult with nice teeth, Thompson is confident, knows his Sacramento area roots and continues to make his mom proud every day.