SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – JUNE 03: Keldon Johnson #3 and Julian Champagnie #30 of the San Antonio Spurs react during the second quarter against the New York Knicks in Game One of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center on June 03, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Getty Images
Four years ago, Julian Champagnie ended his college career by scoring a game-high 23 points for St. John’s in a one-point loss to Villanova in the Big East tournament quarterfinals at Madison Square Garden. On Monday night, Champagnie will be back at MSG starting for the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of the NBA finals against the New York Knicks, his hometown team.
It is unlikely outcome for a player who wasn’t selected in the 2022 draft and was once overshadowed by his twin, Justin, a guard with the Washington Wizards. Now, Champagnie is an important contributor on a team that trails the Knicks two games to none but looks like it should be in title contention for years to come.
The Spurs hold a club option for Champagnie next year at $3 million, a bargain considering his production and young age. Champagnie turns 25 on June 29. San Antonio could pick up the option or negotiate a long-term extension, although those talks are likely on the back burner as the franchise focuses on how to succeed against the surging Knicks, winners of 13 consecutive games.
In two games this series, Champagnie is averaging 12 points and seven rebounds, with all of his seven field goals coming on 3-pointers. But in both second halves, he hasn’t made a field goal, missing all five of his attempts in the opener and his only second half shot in Game 2.
The Knicks overcame a 14-point third quarter deficit in Game 1, scoring the final 11 points to win 106-95. And in Game 2, the Spurs trailed by 14 midway through the fourth quarter, came back to go up by one point with just under a minute remaining but then lost 105-104 when star center Victor Wembanyama missed a jumper at the buzzer.
If the Spurs are going to get back in the series, they need better late-game play from Champagnie, who remains a key figure in coach Mitch Johnson’s rotation. He has found security in the NBA even though he was never a sure-fire recruit out of high school or a top prospect out of college.
Champagnie, who grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y. and played at Bishop Loughlin High School, became the first player from New York City to sign with Mike Anderson, who was named St. John’s head coach in 2019. He initially planned on heading to prep school, per the New York Post, but Anderson and his staff made Champagnie a priority, so he decided to enroll in college.
At St. John’s, Champagnie started 81 of 88 games and averaged 16 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. He averaged more than 19 points per game as a sophomore and junior, making first team All Big East Conference each season even though the Red Storm finished fourth and seventh in the league those seasons.
Despite having two seasons of college eligibility remaining, Champagnie declared for the draft. After not getting selected, he signed a two-way contract with the Philadelphia 76ers that July.
On Valentine’s Day in 2023, the 76ers waived Champagnie, who only appeared in two games and didn’t have a point, assist or rebound. They wanted to make room for Mac McClung, who at the time had played in just two NBA games but who would represent the 76ers in the slam dunk contest that month, an event he ended up winning. Two days later, the Spurs claimed Champagnie off waivers, a move that set him on a much more lucrative path.
As a rookie, Champagnie appeared in 15 games with the Spurs, averaging 11 points in just over 20 minutes per game. That July, Champagnie signed a four-year, $12 million contract, including $6 million guaranteed, per Spotrac. For Champagnie, the agreement provided some financial comfort. And for the Spurs, it wasn’t a huge commitment. Now, the deal is a boon for the franchise.
In the 2023-24 season, Champagnie started 54 of San Antonio’s last 55 games, although the Spurs went 22-60, the second-worst record in the Western Conference. Last season, he started just 28 games, but his 9.9 points per game in 23.6 minutes were up from a year earlier. He helped San Antonio improve to 34-48 even though Wembanyama and point guard De’Aaron Fox played in only 17 and 46 games, respectively.
This season, Champagnie averaged a career-high 11.1 points per game in the regular season. In 20 playoff games, he is averaging 11.4 points and shooting 40.2% on 6.6 3-point attempts per game, making him the Spurs’ most reliable outside option. He is part of a young lineup that includes Wembanyama, who is 22 years old; second-year guard Stephon Castle, who is 21; and rookie guard Dylan Harper, who is 20. Devin Vassell, a starting guard, is 25, while Fox is 28 and reserve guard Keldon Johnson is 26.
The Spurs finished the regular season 62-20, the NBA’s second-best record and the third-best record in franchise history. They made the playoffs for the first time since 2019, snapping the longest postseason drought in franchise history. And after defeating the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder in seven games in the conference finals, the Spurs advanced to their first NBA finals since 2014.
Down 2-0, San Antonio is in a difficult spot. No team has ever lost the first two finals games at home and then won the title. And the Spurs will face an electric atmosphere in Monday night’s Game 3, with President Donald Trump expected to attend and the cheapest tickets selling for nearly $10,000.
Still, for Champagnie, the game is another reminder of how far he has come. As a native New Yorker, he knows how much the Knicks mean to the city and how much they want the franchise to win its first title since 1973. But he can’t think about that Monday. Four years after his college career ended at MSG, he will be back in the arena, looking to improve on his second half performances from the first two games and give the Spurs a shot at what would be an improbable title.
Leave a comment