Spurs guard Julian Champagnie is averaging 11.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game in the playoffs.
SAN ANTONIO – When the Philadelphia 76ers waived Julian Champagnie on Feb. 15, 2023, he didn’t know what was next for his NBA career.
He dreaded the worst-case scenario.
“I thought it was over, I ain’t going to lie to you.,” Champagnie said. “We’re always told how small the window is to get your foot in the league and stay there and make a career for yourself.
“Getting waived with no warning, no nothing, no explanation or anything, it was tough for a 22-year-old kid who was just thinking I was going to chase my dreams and telling myself you could do this. Obviously, I had no clue where I was going to end up. My agent told me it could be anywhere.”
Anywhere turned out to be with the San Antonio Spurs.
The Spurs claimed Champagnie off of waivers the following day, and in the redemptive words of Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter in the classic song St. Stephen: “One man gathers what another man spills.”
The Spurs saw Champagnie’s potential.
“I put my head down and said, ‘Make it work. Whatever they give you, make it work. Whatever they need you to do, make it work. And just find that spot on the team,’ ” Champagnie said. “I feel like the best thing about me, I try to just fit in where I can. And I think that’s what I did when I got here. And it’s been treating me good so far.”
Champagnie, 24, developed into a starter and key contributor to San Antonio’s ascent alongside Victor Wembanyama.
In the playoffs, Champagnie is the Spurs’ sixth-leading scorer at 11.4 points per game plus 5.9 rebounds per game while shooting 45% from the field and 40.2% on 3-pointers. In Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals, he had 10 points and was a plus-24 in his 25 minutes, and in Game 7, he scored 20 points, including 18 on 6-for-10 3-point shooting.
He continued his hot 3-point shooting in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, scoring 16 points on 5-for-10 from 3-point range.
“I love my teammates, love the coaching staff, love everybody at the organization,” Champagnie said. “It’s a great place to be. There’s no better place that I could be, honestly, truly. So shoutout to the San Antonio Spurs on taking (a chance) on a kid from Brooklyn.”
The guy from Brooklyn returns to New York for Games 3 and 4 of the Finals, and the Spurs, down 2-0 in the series, will need Champagnie’s shooting if they want to send the series back to San Antonio.
Regardless of the Spurs’ situation, Champagnie is thrilled to play the Knicks in Madison Square Garden in the Finals.
“That’s every kid’s dream,” he said. “I remember my first time playing in the Garden. I was at St. John’s. I was just in awe of how much greatness has gone through there and what that means for a kid from the city. Being able to go back there and compete for a championship, there’s no better feeling. No better feeling.”
He played high school ball at Bishop Loughlin and spent three seasons at St. John’s. He brings the hard-earned lessons of New York City playground basketball to the NBA.
“You have to win or you can’t go back on the court for a while,” he said. “Then obviously there’s no foul calls out there. They’re not giving you no weak fouls, especially when you’re playing with the older guys. There’s a lot of trash-talking, a lot of physical stuff.
“Figuring out how you can play on those courts, definitely I feel like it translates into playing on the NBA court. Obviously, the talent is different. But you take little tidbits, the trash-talk, the physicality, perseverance and how to get through and actually win a game. You take those things with you throughout your whole career.”
Champagnie entered the 2002 NBA draft but was not selected. The Sixers signed him to a two-way contract, and he appeared in just two games for Philadelphia.
The Spurs pounced when the Sixers waived him.
“When I got here, Coach Pop (Gregg Popovich) told me I had a niche, which is shooting the basketball,” Champagnie said. “There were other areas of my game I had to work on – being more nasty, rebounding, playing defense, stuff like that. That’s been the working point since.”
After San Antonio defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals, Spurs coach Mitch Johnson raved about Champagnie’s contributions.
“Julian has been phenomenal,” Johnson said. “He’s had games where he’s missed shots and he’s had double-digit rebounds. His spacing causes gravity, whether he makes shots or not. And at times when we haven’t scored, he’s made huge shots. He’s been an absolute unsung hero because some of those other guys have the basketball in their hands more and they’re probably a part of maybe more highlights other than making threes.
“And Julian’s been an integral part of our team defense, team rebounding and all that leads to us playing fast, which is our best version of our offense. And when he’s the recipient of it, he usually makes it, but he’s been absolutely phenomenal.”
From wondering whether he’d play another NBA game to playing in the NBA Finals in his hometown, Champagnie found his place in league. He set a Spurs single-season record with 195 made 3s in 2025-26 and set a franchise single-game record with 11 3s against the Knicks on Dec. 31.
“I wouldn’t be who I am today without the Spurs organization,” he said. “I give a lot of credit – really all the credit to them.”
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Jeff Zillgitt has covered the NBA since 2008. You can email him at jzillgitt@nba.com, find his archive here and follow him on X.
