The San Antonio Spurs have long taken guys from the bottom of the scrap heap. Danny Green, Patty Mills, and Jonathan Simmons all looked like their NBA dreams were over and done with before they joined the Spurs.
That’s not to mention their success with late-round draft picks. Guys like Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, and Keldon Johnson were all picked well after several teams had passed on them, and the Spurs turned them into lineup staples (or NBA legends).
Currently, the best example of the Spurs finding success where no one else was even looking is Julian Champagnie. Undrafted out of St. John’s, he signed a two-way deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, but was waived after 17 games to make room for Mac McClung on the roster. The Spurs picked him up; he played well, and they signed him to a four-year non-guaranteed contract.
This summer, he inked a new deal, fully guaranteed and worth $45 million over three seasons. Given where he started from, it’s no wonder that he’s taking on a selfless role.
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Julian Champagnie Is the ‘Spursiest’ Guy in San Antonio
Last season, Champagnie stole the starting job from Harrison Barnes. It was the first time Champagnie has played on a winning team, and he made the most of it. In college, the Red Storm were a middling Big East team. The San Antonio team he first joined was stuck in the lottery year after year.
In his first chance to play winning basketball, he thrived. He posted 11 points per game on 40.5 percent shooting from deep in the Finals. He was a capable defender in the postseason. And then, this summer, the Spurs signed Tobias Harris. He’s expected to usurp Champagnie as the starting power forward. Harris is bigger and more physical than Champagnie, and even though his shot isn’t quite as good, he looks like a better pairing next to Victor Wembanyama.
You’ll hear no complaints from Champagnie, though.
“To me, it doesn’t matter,” he said of starting or not. “It’s not my job to figure out who’s starting, who’s not starting. I think as players, we’re all focused on just one thing, and that’s getting back to where we were last year. I don’t care. Starting, not starting, I just like being here. I trust in Coach. Whatever he needs me to do is what I’m going to do. Whatever the team needs me to do is where I’m going to be. That’s how I’m moving about it.”
After spending several seasons knowing he could be cut at any given moment, finally having a guaranteed contract is bonus enough. He doesn’t need to trot out with the starting lineup. He knows his place is (finally) secure.
For guys who were able to put their ego first, taking a demotion like that would sting. For Champagnie, though, a chance to play significant minutes on a winning team and make generational wealth isn’t something he takes for granted.
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