Jason McElwain

Jason McElwain, nicknamed J-Mac (born October 20, 1988), is an Autistic American amateur athlete in basketball and marathon running, and a public speaker. In a 2006 high-school basketball game, he scored 20 points in the final few minutes of the contest, a feat which attracted international media attention.

In 2003, Jason McElwain was appointed as the manager of the Greece Athena High School Trojans men's basketball team by basketball coach Jim Johnson. On February 15, 2006, McElwain played in a senior night basketball game against Spencerport High School, for a division title. Greece Athena got a large lead, so Coach Johnson decided to let McElwain play in the last four minutes and nineteen seconds of the game. McElwain made six three-point shots and one two-pointer, finishing with 20 points. After the final buzzer sounded, the crowd dashed onto the court in celebration. Footage of the event was featured on ESPN days after the game, and a short film about McElwain's life, The Magic Of J-Mac, was released in 2009.

In 2016, McElwain made his professional basketball debut with the Rochester RazorSharks.

Early life Jason McElwain was born on October 20, 1988, to David and Debbie McElwain, and was diagnosed with autism at two years old. Jason and his family lived in Greece, New York, a suburb of Rochester, New York. Although he was placed in special education classes, and allow McElwain to play a few minutes if Greece Athena got a comfortable lead.

McElwain's performance was videotaped by fellow Greece Athena student Marcus Luciano, who was substituting for the team's normal videographer. Before the game, Johnson gave Luciano strict instructions to track only the game formations. However, according to ESPN writer Elizabeth Merrill, Luciano "had a well-deserved reputation for breaking the rules"; when he saw McElwain make his first shot, he ignored Johnson's instructions and instead panned the crowd reaction to McElwain's performance. Johnson was initially angry, but he soon changed his mind, calling Luciano's decision "a brilliant move".

Reaction In his hometown of Greece, New York, McElwain quickly became a celebrity.

McElwain met President George W. Bush on March 14, 2006, when Bush stopped by a nearby airport on his way to Canandaigua, New York, so he could meet McElwain. Standing next to McElwain, Bush told reporters, "As you can see, a special person has greeted us at the airport, Jason", and then jokingly asked, "Can I call you J-Mac?" He won an ESPY Award for the Best Moment in Sports in 2006. McElwain beat out Kobe Bryant's 81-point-game and the George Mason Patriots' run to the Final Four. The theme of the speech was about dreams coming true.

Media Following his rise to fame, Jason McElwain wrote a book titled The Game of My Life. Editorial reviews were left by celebrities such as Magic Johnson, Doug Flutie, Rodney Peete, Holly Robinson Peete, and Tony Dungy. Laura Ziskin, producer of the Spider-Man film series, was signed on to produce it. and has a full-time job at Wegmans Food Markets in Greece, New York. Since 2007, McElwain has also been a volunteer coach for the Greece Athena team alongside Johnson. With the Razorsharks leading by more than 40 points late in the game, McElwain was put in and scored 10 points, including two three-point shots. In 2014, he completed the Boston Marathon in 2:57.05.