The middle-school laughs made Isaiah Stewart feel uneasy.

Although his friends at the Rochester, N.Y., afterschool program weren’t laughing at him, he still understood the moment’s seriousness.

As a young boy entered the afterschool program’s building, Stewart’s immature friends began to snicker because the boy seemed different than them. The program took in the youngster, fed him and invited him to return. Rather than join in the laughter, Stewart stepped back and thought about the moment.

Stewart spent time in the afterschool program during his elementary and middle school years and received meals, help with homework and socialized with friends in a safe place.

After Stewart got older and moved on, the program ceased operations due to a lack of funding and closed for nearly seven years. That is until Stewart realized he needed to act.

Just two days before the Detroit Pistons began this season, Stewart invested $220,000 (and $10,000 more later) and reopened the facility that is now known as The Isaiah Stewart Learning Center. The program, which Stewart credits for some of his development, is now free for all first graders through high school students. Stewart is helping provide meals, tutoring and transportation to and from the program.

The 23-year-old big man is known for his hard-nosed style of play and no-nonsense approach to basketball in his five NBA seasons. And that same passion carries over to off the court, and it’s why he chose to give back to his community.

“Stew carries a spirit with him and an enthusiasm, and a love of the grit, dirty work and the things people just don’t want to do,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “There’s small things that people might not notice, but they’re things that his teammates respect and believe in. They know he’s got their back. Having trust, whether it’s on the court or off the court, that’s huge. That’s how you build chemistry and that’s how you build a team.”

Stewart’s new-and-improved program is enriching the lives of children who are growing up in similar circumstances to him.

“What Isaiah is doing by continuing this program is supporting them with their physical needs, but at the same time providing them with certified teachers, tutors, volunteers and people who can help them academically,” program administrator Dr. Karen Green said. “That’s the gist of the program. Let me take care of some of your physical needs, but at the same time, let me give you tutors, teachers and people who care about you so we can build you up academically as well.”

A phone call in August 2024 to co-founder Dr. Burnice Green, who is married to Karen, was how Stewart became involved.

Green informed Stewart the program was unable to continue without the necessary funding. Stewart didn’t hesitate to ask Green how much they’d need to get the program up and running again.

“He has a heart for people,” Green said. “He has a heart for his community. And he wants to see others succeed. For someone so young to have insight at his age now to want to see others do well is something that is missing in our society today.

“For him to do that and be in a position where he can have some impact and he’s willing to do that … I’ll tell you, it’s amazing.”

Stewart’s drive and passion to succeed were shaped by his father, Dela, who was a blue-collar construction worker.

With his dad working long hours, Stewart needed support after school. He initially grew up with his mother, Shameka Holloway, as an infant before moving in with his father.

“It helped me tremendously,” Stewart said about the afterschool program. “Having a dad who worked construction, sometimes he worked at night until the morning. So, having that meal was great. I always looked forward to the program. Being able to get my homework done and get a free meal, having dinner, was very exciting for me as a kid.”

And now, Stewart’s financial commitment to the program is having an impact.

Gyir Session, 10, currently attends The Isaiah Stewart Learning Center. When asked what he’d say to Stewart if he could tell him anything in the moment, his response was likely more insightful than you’d expect for someone his age.

“I appreciate how much time and effort he put into the program,” Session told The Athletic. “He decided to do this for all of us by using his own money to make sure we have the experience to have a nice life when we grow up.”

Keryan Ramirez, an 11-year-old participant in the program, has enjoyed watching her friends grow within their community.

“When I first met my two best friends in the program, they were both super shy and didn’t have any friends,” Ramirez said. “When they started coming more, they started being friends with everybody. And they were really funny, too, showing off their true colors.”

That gratitude from the youth attending his center is exactly what Stewart envisions and wants to achieve.

“For me, just being one of those kids that grew up in the inner city and lived in very bad conditions,” Stewart said when asked why he feels so compelled to give back to his community. “When I look back on some of those memories, I’m like, ‘Damn, I made it out of that?’ ”

Stewart did make it. He attended the University of Washington and was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers with the 16th pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. After being traded twice, he landed with the Pistons. In July 2023, Stewart agreed to a four-year, $64 million contract extension to remain in Detroit.

And he’s not done giving back. The Rochester Boys & Girls Club announced on Jan. 22 that Stewart donated $750,000 to renovate the gym and support the club’s reading programs. The gym will be renamed in Stewart’s honor.

On the court, Stewart is doing whatever it takes — diving for loose balls, blocking shots, playing stingy defense, rebounding — to help the Pistons (29-26, sixth in the East) reach the playoffs for the first time since 2019 after some horrific seasons.

“He’s a great guy to have on your team,” teammate Jalen Duren said. “There’s never any letup, there’s never any drop-off. You know he’s going to give you everything he’s got.”

(Top photo of Stewart: Chris Schwegler / NBAE via Getty Images)