By Jeff McDonald, Staff writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2024-12-19 14:49:55
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
2024年12月6日星期五，在圣安东尼奥举行的NBA篮球比赛下半场，圣安东尼奥马刺队前锋朱利安·尚帕尼(Julian Champagnie)（30号）准备投篮对抗萨克拉门托国王队。(美联社照片/Eric Gay)
近两年后，马刺后卫朱利安·尚帕尼(Julian Champagnie)仍然记得他人生中最糟糕的情人节的细节。
那是2023年2月14日，一支NBA球队和他“分手”的日子。下午，费城76人队裁掉了尚帕尼，当时他还是一位21岁的双向合同新秀。
那天晚上，他和他的女朋友（现在是未婚妻）卡西迪在一家牛排餐厅吃了一顿沉闷的晚餐。
“感觉不太好，”尚帕尼回忆道，“但我们还是努力找点乐子。”
职业生涯突然陷入停滞，尚帕尼回到纽约的家，立刻开始闷闷不乐。
“那是我人生中最糟糕的两天，”尚帕尼说。
在76人队放弃他48小时后，尚帕尼的自怨自艾被来自马刺队的一个电话打断。
当时马刺队正处于重建期的“病急乱投医”阶段——维克多·文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama)在当时仍是俱乐部最狂野的白日梦——他们想与尚帕尼签约完赛剩余的赛季。
他的新工作第二天就开始了。
“我真的不知道会发生什么，”尚帕尼说。“我只知道这是另一个机会。”
时间快进到他在圣安东尼奥的第三个赛季，尚帕尼的位置尺寸、投篮和防守韧性的结合，让他成为了马刺文班亚马计划中不可或缺的一部分。
在周四于弗罗斯特银行中心对阵亚特兰大的比赛之前，尚帕尼场均得分达到了职业生涯最高的12.8分。他以68个三分球领跑全队。
身高6英尺8英寸（约2.03米）的尚帕尼在马刺队的前26场比赛中全部首发出场，与老将克里斯·保罗和哈里森·巴恩斯一起成为球队中唯一达到这一里程碑的球员。
尚帕尼的表现足够出色，以至于即使马刺队的侧翼轮换阵容接近完全健康，也无法将他从首发阵容中移除。
“他打球很有自信，”代理教练米奇·约翰逊说。
对于一个不久前还在怀疑自己是否还能拥有NBA职业生涯的球员来说，这是一个相当大的转变。在圣约翰大学效力三年后，尚帕尼在大三时入选了大东联盟最佳阵容一阵，但在2022年的NBA选秀中落选。
费城向尚帕尼抛出了一根救命稻草——尽管是一根可伸缩的——一份双向合同。他的新秀赛季大部分时间都在G联赛度过，在2月份被76人队彻底裁掉之前，他只参加了两场NBA比赛。
然而，马刺队的情况与76人队大不相同。
费城正处于季后赛的争夺中，并且仍然幻想自己是总冠军的有力争夺者，而马刺队则正在经历一个最终以22胜60负结束的赛季。
他们有条件为尚帕尼提供一个赛季中的试训机会。如果进展不顺利，也无伤大雅。
尚帕尼决心要好好表现。
“我一直说，无论如何我都会适应，”尚帕尼说。“在这里，他们希望我投篮。我喜欢投篮，所以一切都很顺利。”
在2022-23赛季的最后15场比赛中，尚帕尼场均得到11分，三分球命中率为40.7%。
这足以让他在接下来的休赛期获得一份4年1200万美元的合同。
在上赛季出场74次，其中59次首发——场均得分相对平平的6.8分——之后，尚帕尼进入了他的第三个NBA赛季，预计将从替补席开始。
当德文·瓦塞尔从休赛期的足部手术中恢复的时间比预期要长时，尚帕尼重新回到了首发位置。到目前为止，他一直稳坐首发。
“他刚来的时候就非常努力，”前锋杰里米·索汉(Jeremy Sochan)说。“他从不找借口。无论何时叫到他的名字，他都做好了准备。”
通过这样做，尚帕尼将自己的名字添加到马刺队“璞玉成金”的成功案例名单中。尚帕尼是俱乐部历史上第八位得分超过1000分的落选球员。他是五位命中至少200个三分球的落选马刺球员之一。
“他是我合作过的最好的射手之一，”后卫凯尔登·约翰逊说。“无论他当晚状态好坏，我都告诉他继续投篮。”
对于尚帕尼来说，他突破性赛季的秘诀在于他的心态。
他说，这是一个自信的游戏。
“去年，我首发了数量惊人的比赛，这甚至是我自己都没想到的，”尚帕尼说。“但是教练对我很有信心。我的队友也对我很有信心。我没有理由不自信。”
在76人队在情人节那天放弃他近两年后，尚帕尼建立了新的NBA情缘。
马刺队会说，这种感觉是相互的。
“我一直说，我所需要的只是一个机会，我会找到自己的位置，”尚帕尼说。“结果还不错。”
SAN ANTONIO, TX - DECEMBER 15: Mike Conley #10 of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Julian Champagnie #30 of the San Antonio Spurs battle for a loose ball in the second half at Frost Bank Center on December 15, 2024 in San Antonio, Texas.
Chicago Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu (11) tries to drive past San Antonio Spurs forward Julian Champagnie (30) during the second half of their NBA game at the Frost Bank Center on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024 in San Antonio. Chicago beat the Spurs 139-124.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - DECEMBER 03: Ryan Dunn #0 of the Phoenix Suns and Julian Champagnie #30 of the San Antonio Spurs battle for a rebound during the second half of the Emirates NBA Cup game at Footprint Center on December 03, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona.
San Antonio Spurs forward Julian Champagnie (30) shoots against Sacramento Kings forward Jae Crowder (99) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
点击查看原文：Spurs, Champagnie are a match made in heaven
Spurs, Champagnie are a match made in heaven
San Antonio Spurs forward Julian Champagnie (30) looks to shoot against the Sacramento Kings during the second half of an NBA basketball game in San Antonio, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Nearly two years later, Spurs guard Julian Champagnie can still recall the details of his worst Valentine’s Day ever.
It was Feb. 14, 2023, the day an entire NBA team broke up with him. In the afternoon, the Philadelphia 76ers waived Champagnie, who at the time was a 21-year-old rookie on a two-way contract.
That night, he commiserated with his girlfriend (now fiancée) Cassidy over a maudlin steakhouse dinner.
“It wasn’t that good,” Champagnie recalled, “but we tried to have fun.”
His career suddenly in purgatory, Champagnie returned home to New York and immediately got to moping.
“The worst two days of my life,” Champagnie said.
Forty-eight hours after the Sixers gave him the heave-ho, Champagnie’s personal pity party was interrupted by a phone call from the Spurs.
Approaching the throw-everything-at-the-wall stage of their rebuilding effort – Victor Wembanyama was still a figment of the club’s wildest fever dream at that point – the Spurs wanted to sign Champagnie for the remainder of the season.
His new gig started the next day.
“I didn’t really know what to expect,” Champagnie said. “All I knew it was another opportunity.”
Flash forward to his third season in San Antonio, and Champagnie’s blend of positional size, shooting and defensive moxie have cemented him as an integral part of the Spurs’ Wembanyama project.
Heading into Thursday’s game against Atlanta at the Frost Bank Center, Champagnie was averaging a career-high 12.8 points. He leads the team with 68 made 3-pointers.
The 6-foot-8 Champagnie has appeared in and started each of the Spurs’ first 26 games, joining established veterans Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes as the only members of the team to reach that mark in either category.
Champagnie been good enough that it has been impossible to bump him from the starting five, even as the Spurs’ wing rotation approaches full health.
“He has been playing with a lot of confidence,” acting coach Mitch Johnson said.
It has been quite a turnabout for a player who not all that long ago was wondering if he would have an NBA career at all. After a three-year college career at St. John’s that led to a first-team All-Big East selection as a junior, Champagnie was passed over in the 2022 NBA draft.
Philadelphia threw Champagnie a lifeline – albeit a retractable one – with a two-way contract. He spent most of his rookie season in the G League, appearing in only two NBA games before the 76ers cut him altogether in February.
The Spurs, though, were in a much different situation than the Sixers.
Whereas Philly was in the throes of a playoff race and still fancied itself a title contender, the Spurs were plowing through what would become a 22-60 campaign.
They were in position to offer Champagnie what amounted to an in-season tryout. If it didn’t go well, no harm.
Champagnie arrived determined for it to go well.
“I always said I was going to fit in no matter how I had to,” Champagnie said. “Here they wanted me to shoot the basketball. I like to shoot, so it kind of worked out.”
Over the final 15 games of the 2022-23 season, Champagnie averaged 11 points and shot 40.7% from 3-point range.
It was enough to earn him a four-year, $12-million deal the following offseason.
After appearing in 74 games with 59 starts last season – and averaging a relatively inauspicious 6.8 points – Champagnie entered his third NBA campaign ticketed to come off the bench.
When Devin Vassell took longer than expected to heal from offseason foot surgery, Champagnie slid back into a starting role. So far, he has not vacated it.
“He worked his (rear) off when he first got here,” forward Jeremy Sochan said. “He’s never had any excuses. Whenever his name called up, he was ready.”
In doing so, Champagnie has added his name to the list of Spurs’ diamond-in-the-rough success stories. Champagnie is one of eight undrafted players in club history to eclipse 1,000 career points. He is one five undrafted Spurs to convert at least 200 3-pointers.
“He’s one of the best shooters I’ve ever played with,” guard Keldon Johnson said. “Whether it’s a good night or bad night, I just tell him to keep shooting.”
For Champagnie, the secret to his breakout season has been between his own ears.
It is a confidence game, he says.
“Last year, I started some crazy number of games that I wasn’t even expecting myself,” Champagnie said. “But the coaches have the confidence in me. My teammates have the confidence in me. It makes no sense for me to have no confidence.”
Nearly two years after the 76ers sent him packing on Valentine’s Day, Champagnie has made a new NBA love connection.
The Spurs would say the feeling is mutual.
“I always said that all I needed was an opportunity, and I’ll figure out where I fit in,” Champagnie said. “It has worked out pretty well.”
By Jeff McDonald, Staff writer, via San Antonio Express-News
