By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2025-10-24 15:16:36
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。
2025年10月6日星期一，在圣安东尼奥举行的一场NBA季前赛下半场，圣安东尼奥马刺队前锋大卫·琼斯·加西亚（25号）在对阵广州龙狮队的比赛中持球推进。在周三马刺队对阵达拉斯独行侠队的赛季揭幕战中，琼斯·加西亚上演了他的NBA首秀，兑现了对他已故父亲的承诺。
新奥尔良电——在周三以125-92大胜达拉斯的比赛还剩4分04秒时，马刺队教练米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson) 看向替补席，示意大卫·琼斯·加西亚 (David Jones Garcia) 登场比赛。
对于这位即将迎来NBA首秀的新秀后卫，约翰逊只给了一条建议。
或许，别笑得那么开心。
“教练告诉我要我别紧张，”琼斯·加西亚说，“因为我当时根本忍不住笑。”
琼斯·加西亚笑得合不拢嘴，这背后有充分的理由。
两年半前，出生于多米尼加的琼斯·加西亚向他弥留之际的父亲——同样也叫大卫——承诺，自己有朝一日至少要打上一场NBA比赛。
通过在由维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 带队取得大胜的比赛收官阶段踏上美国航空中心球馆的地板，琼斯·加西亚兑现了那个誓言。
“我很高兴能站上那个赛场，”23岁的琼斯·加西亚说道。“我很高兴能兑现我对父亲许下的承诺。”
琼斯·加西亚在周三的比赛中收尾登场，两次出手全部命中，最终得到5分和2次助攻。
他在垃圾时间的表现对比赛结果毫无影响。
但这无疑将对他的人生产生终身的影响。
“能来到这里，我感到无比幸运，”琼斯·加西亚在周五于新奥尔良参加完马刺队的投篮训练后说道。“你不能把这一切视为理所当然。这不是每个人都有的机会。这非常特别。”
2025年7月10日星期四，在内华达州拉斯维加斯的托马斯&马克中心，圣安东尼奥马刺队后卫大卫·琼斯·加西亚在对阵费城76人队的第二节比赛中出手三分。
琼斯·加西亚将自己走上篮球之路归功于他的父亲，后者在2023年因心脏病去世。
和大多数在多米尼加共和国圣多明各长大的孩子一样，琼斯·加西亚也曾涉足过他们的国球——棒球。
他曾是一名投手，并声称自己能用左右手投出强劲的球。
13岁时，琼斯·加西亚的棒球生涯在仅仅三个月后便宣告结束。
他想专注于篮球。父亲最初的热爱也成为了他自己的挚爱。
“我6岁的时候，他就会带我去球场打球，”琼斯·加西亚说。“从那天起，我就爱上了这项运动。”
在代表多米尼加青年国家队参加2018年FIBA U17世界杯时，琼斯·加西亚引起了美国球探的注意。
他移居美国读高中——出人意料地来到了西弗吉尼亚州——并最终就读于泰斯谷基督学校 (Teays Valley Christian School)。
他颠沛流离的大学生涯先后辗转于德保罗大学、圣约翰大学和孟菲斯大学，之后在2024年的NBA选秀中落选。
上赛季，琼斯·加西亚在G联赛度过，主要效力于墨西哥城船长队，并在对阵圣地亚哥的一场比赛中狂砍51分，一鸣惊人。
这位身高6英尺4英寸的左手将在去年7月加入马刺队参加夏季联赛，并凭借出色表现为自己赢得了一份双向合同。
这一切最终促成了周三的那个时刻，琼斯·加西亚首次踏上了一场NBA正式比赛的地板。
2025年7月10日星期四，在内华达州拉斯维加斯的托马斯&马克中心，圣安东尼奥马刺队后卫大卫·琼斯·加西亚在对阵费城76人队的第一节比赛中持球推进。
当琼斯·加西亚登场时，他想到了自己的父亲。其实，他一直都想着父亲。
“每当我踏上球场，我都会想起我的父亲，”琼斯·加西亚说。他和金州勇士队的艾尔·霍福德 (Al Horford) 是联盟中仅有的两位出生于多米尼加共和国的现役球员。“是他引领我走上了这条路，才有了我的今天。”
作为一名板凳席末端的球员，琼斯·加西亚无法确定自己下一次为马刺队登场会是什么时候。
当下个月G联赛赛季开始时，琼斯·加西亚和马刺队另外两位双向合同球员——莱利·米尼克斯 (Riley Minix) 和哈里森·英格拉姆 (Harrison Ingram)——将很有可能被下放到奥斯汀。
周五上午，琼斯·加西亚的主要贡献是在投篮训练后参加了一场5对5对抗赛，这场训练旨在帮助伤愈复出的球员——德阿龙·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox)、杰里米·索汉 (Jeremy Sochan) 和凯利·奥利尼克 (Kelly Olynyk)——恢复状态。
但他将永远铭记在达拉斯那四分钟的收尾时间，以及那个他信守已久的承诺。
“那无疑是一个特殊的时刻，”琼斯·加西亚说。“我会永远感激马刺队让这一切成为现实。”
点击查看原文：How Spurs rookie David Jones Garcia honored his late father vs. Dallas
How Spurs rookie David Jones Garcia honored his late father vs. Dallas
San Antonio Spurs forward David Jones Garcia (25) takes the ball up court against the Guangzhou Loong-Lions during the second half of an NBA preseason basketball game in San Antonio, Monday, Oct. 6, 2025. Jones Garcia made his NBA debut against the Dallas Mavericks in the Spurs’ season opener Wednesday, fulfilling a promise he made to his late father.
NEW ORLEANS — With 4:04 remaining in Wednesday’s 125-92 drubbing of Dallas, Spurs coach Mitch Johnson looked down his bench and signaled for David Jones Garcia to check into the game.
Johnson had only one piece of advice for his rookie guard, who was an eye-blink away from making his NBA debut.
Maybe stop smiling so much.
“Coach told me not to be nervous,” Jones Garcia said, “because I couldn’t stop smiling.”
Jones Garcia’s ear-to-ear grin came with good reason.
Two and a half years ago, the Dominican-born Jones Garcia promised his dying father, also named David, that he would play at least one game in the NBA.
By stepping on the court of the American Airlines Center in the waning moments of a Victor Wembanyama-fueled blowout victory, Jones Garcia made good on that vow.
“I was just happy to be there,” said Jones Garcia, 23. “I was happy to make the promise I had promised my dad come through.”
Jones Garcia closed out Wednesday’s contest, made both his field goal attempts and ended with five points and two assists.
His garbage-time shift had zero effect on the outcome of the game.
It is sure to have a lifetime effect on Jones Garcia.
“I feel blessed to be here,” Jones Garcia said after the Spurs’ shootaround session Friday in New Orleans. “You can’t take this for granted. It’s not something that happens to everybody. It’s something special.”
San Antonio Spurs guard David Jones-Garcia shoots a three pointer during the second quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada Thursday, July 10, 2025.
Jones Garcia credits his father for turning him on to basketball in the years before his death from a heart ailment in 2023.
Like most kids growing up in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, Jones Garcia dabbled in the national sport of baseball.
He was a pitcher, and says he could throw hard with either hand.
Jones Garcia’s baseball career ended after three months at age 13.
He wanted to focus on basketball. His father’s first love was also his own.
“When I was 6 years old, he would take me to the playground to play basketball,” Jones Garcia said. “Since that day, I fell in love with it.”
Jones Garcia caught the eye of American scouts while playing for the Dominican junior national team in the 2018 FIBA Under-17 World Cup.
He moved to American to attend high school — in West Virgina of all places — ending up at Teays Valley Christian School.
A nomadic college career took Jones Garcia through stints at DePaul, St. John’s and Memphis, after which he went undrafted by the NBA in 2024.
Jones Garcia spent last season in the G League, playing primarily with the Mexico City Capitanes, where he turned heads with a 51-point game against San Diego.
The 6-foot-4 left-hander joined the Spurs in Summer League last July, and played well enough to earn a two-way contract with the club.
That all led to Wednesday, when Jones Garcia set foot on an NBA court for the first time in a game that counts.
San Antonio Spurs guard David Jones-Garcia dribbles up the floor during the first quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada Thursday, July 10, 2025.
Jones Garcia was thinking of his father as he checked into the contest. Then again, he always is.
“Every time I step on the court, I’m thinking of my dad,” said Jones Garcia, who joins Golden State’s Al Horford as one of only two active NBA players born in the Dominican Republic. “He was the one who put me on the path to be here.”
As an end-of-the-bench player, Jones Garcia cannot say for certain when he will next get into a game for the Spurs.
When the G League season begins next month, odds are high Jones Garcia and the Spurs’ other two-way players — Riley Minix and Harrison Ingram — will be headed to Austin.
Jones Garcia’s main contribution Friday morning was participating in a 5-on-5 scrimmage after shootaround, a session meant to ramp up players returning from injury — De’Aaron Fox, Jeremy Sochan and Kelly Olynyk.
He will always have those four minutes of mop-up duty in Dallas, and a long-held promise kept.
“It was a special moment for sure,” Jones Garcia said. “I will always appreciate the Spurs for making it happen.”
By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News