After making the NBA Finals, the San Antonio Spurs decided to keep the core intact. This summer, they didn’t lose a single rotation player. Their only major move outside of the NBA Draft was signing Tobias Harris to a two-year, $31 million contract.
Last season, Harris averaged 13.3 points and 5.1 rebounds for the first-place Detroit Pistons, while shooting 36.8 percent from 3-point range. In San Antonio, he’s expected to play a similar role, with Julian Champagnie likely moving to the bench.
In Detroit, Harris was one of the better offensive players on the roster, capable of creating his own shot from all over the floor. In San Antonio, he’ll be behind Victor Wembanyama, De’Aaron Fox, and probably Devin Vassell and Stephon Castle in shot attempts, but should be able to chase his first title.
It turns out, the move to San Antonio was decades in the making.
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Tobias Harris Has Longstanding Connection to Spurs’ Legend
One of the Spurs’ biggest successes has been their ability to build a real community in San Antonio. Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Manu Ginobili, Sean Elliott, and Bruce Bowen, among others, still live in San Antonio.
That tradition started when George Gervin retired. One of basketball’s biggest superstars, Gervin opted not to move back home to Michigan, instead laying down roots in San Antonio.
Harris, it turns out, spent a lot of time in Texas growing up. He is from Long Island and played high school ball in New York before heading to Knoxville to play for Tennessee, but trained in San Antonio.
“When I was little, I’d come to San Antonio to train with George Gervin,” Harris revealed. “He and my dad are very close. George is practically like an uncle to me. So, when I signed here, he was one of the first people I called. I told him: ‘I’m coming to San Antonio.’ He’s my guy. I’ve been in touch with him since I was really little, probably since I was five or six. I’d come here to train with him at his academy.”
A player with Harris’ talents can always fit on pretty much any team in the NBA. So why did he wait until his fourth free agency to finally don the Silver and Black? Turns out, Gervin was the only one doing the heavy lifting.
“I’d say he’s probably my only real connection to San Antonio, but now, I’m excited for my family and me to integrate into the community,” Harris added.
Maybe Harris will become the next unexpected Spur to build a post-playing life in San Antonio. Every time Gervin, Duncan, Robinson, and Bowen are shown on the big screen at the Frost Bank Center, fans go nuts, and maybe Harris will want that to be a part of his legacy.
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