By Jared Weiss | The Athletic, 2026-06-03 10:00:22
圣安东尼奥——在拉斯维加斯，朱利安·尚帕尼 (Julian Champagnie) 感到有些东西被悄然唤醒。去年，当他和圣安东尼奥马刺队的队友们齐聚NBA夏季联赛，观看他们未来的队友迪伦·哈珀 (Dylan Harper)、卡特·布莱恩特 (Carter Bryant) 和大卫·琼斯·加西亚 (David Jones Garcia) 的首秀时，他捕捉到了一种特别的氛围。
这种人际联结感觉恰到好处。大家都清楚，这个赛季将会向前迈出一大步。维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 在因血栓导致2月份赛季报销后，已被批准恢复篮球活动。达龙·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox) 在手腕伤势痊愈后也蓄势待发。在斩获NBA年度最佳新秀后，斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle) 也准备好更进一步。每个人都迫不及待地想看看自己职业生涯的下一阶段会是什么样子。
而且，他们准备并肩作战。从水下训练到聚餐共进晚餐，在赛季开始之前，他们就找到了各种集体活动来拉近彼此的距离。虽然球场上的化学反应花了一段时间才真正成型，但这种默契的氛围早在很久之前就已经悄然奠定。
“大家彼此相爱，这种感情是真挚的。我们是一个紧密团结的集体，”凯尔登·约翰逊 (Keldon Johnson) 说道，“我觉得，当你看到我们中的任何一个人，就等于看到了我们所有人。从一开始就是这样。我不知道为什么，也不知道是怎么做到的，但它就像从第一天起就对上眼了。”
几乎没有多少球员能像尚帕尼那样从中受益匪浅。这位曾经险些在联盟失业的前双向合同球员，在赛季开始时还是球队替补席上的神射手。最终，他在1月份进入了首发阵容，取代了老将、前总冠军成员哈里森·巴恩斯 (Harrison Barnes)。
两位球员都表现得非常大度；球队自此一飞冲天，并一直保持着精英级别的表现，最终在周三晚上拉开帷幕的NBA总决赛中，与纽约尼克斯队展开巅峰对决。
“球队在让我们保持团结方面做得非常好，让我们在夏季联赛期间一起活动，比如全队聚餐、集体活动。你们可能看过文班夏天在泳池里的视频，我们当时都去了，”尚帕尼说道，“让我们保持紧密联系和凝聚力。从去年六、七月份开始，我们就一直在这样做。
“这就是为什么当你走进更衣室，或者看到我们在今年六月的赛场上，会呈现出那样的面貌。这都要归功于此。我们已经这样坚持了相当长的一段时间。”
在观看文班亚马休赛期的训练时，他们就能感觉到，大家都将共同参与一件非凡的大事。他即将一马当先，颠覆整个联盟，而他们则是被选中的少数人，在背后全力支持他。
当你明白水涨才能船高时，为了支持下一个伟大的奇迹而暂时放下个人目标就会变得容易得多。事实正是如此，尚帕尼打破了队史三分球纪录，福克斯重返全明星赛，而约翰逊则荣膺NBA年度最佳第六人。
“在某个时刻，你会审视自己，思考你是想成为某件伟大事业的一部分，还是想追求个人目标，”约翰逊说，“留在这里，经历这个赛季并不断赢球，就是终极的回报。这恰恰证明了这一切都是值得的。”
在NBA四处漂泊之后，朱利安·尚帕尼已经完美融入了马刺队。(Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
如今，他们正一步步接近马刺先辈们曾统治的高度。现在想要轻言“这是一个王朝的开始”已非易事——问问俄克拉荷马城雷霆队就知道了。自从上个十年凯文·杜兰特 (Kevin Durant) 与斯蒂芬·库里 (Steph Curry) 在金州勇士队联手以来，联盟就再也没有出现过成功卫冕的冠军。
然而，如果马刺能从现在开始，他们就有机会。曾在2005年和2007年随马刺夺冠的罗伯特·霍里 (Robert Horry) 在这支球队身上看到了一种态度，让他想起了当年。
“这其中是有层次的，因为你看那些优秀的球队，当他们踏上球场时，他们有一种自己就是最强者的态度，”霍里告诉 The Athletic，“他们会抱着‘噢，我们一定会赢下这场比赛’的态度。有些人觉得这是自大，但我称之为自信。在体育运动中，自大和自信是没问题的，因为最顶尖的球员都是如此。”
这种底气部分来自于那些仍常在球队大楼里走动的马刺功勋元老。功勋教练格雷格·波波维奇 (Gregg Popovich) 以其“老大 (El Jefe)”的身份在球队中的存在感显著增强，他的工作范围极广，从去机场迎接球队，到赛后给球员打电话提供反馈，无所不包。
“我们一落地，我就立刻看到了波波，”文班亚马说，“那种情绪真的是我很久没有感受到的了。我甚至不知道上一次有这种感觉是什么时候了。”
在霍里看来，这是波波维奇参与球队事务、倾注心血的新方式。
“这座城市就是他，他就是这座城市，”霍里说，“我认为，对我来说，这就是他参与其中的方式，让他有机会继续在这项运动中留下自己的烙印。”
在马刺队在主场输掉西部决赛第三场后，波波维奇甚至大步走进更衣室，发表了一番演讲，帮助球队扭转了系列赛的局势。最重要的是，他一直是继任主教练米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson) 的导师。
“他一直是我源源不断的支持力量，同时又给予我绝对的自由和空间，让我能够按照自己的想法和风格去执教，这简直是再完美不过的节奏了，”约翰逊说，“这非常宝贵。老实说，我不知道是否有人曾拥有过我今年所获得的这种机会。
“我不会把这视作理所当然。我深知他所带来的深远影响，同时也感激他放手让我做自己。”
辉煌的过去在这支球队身边无处不在。马刺队员经常谈到，当他们来到训练场时，马努·吉诺比利 (Manu Ginobili) 就在那里，蒂姆·邓肯 (Tim Duncan) 也在那里。在他们努力打造一个经得起时间考验的长期规划时，他们是在昔日中流砥柱的指导下进行的。传奇人物和文化缔造者们正在携手帮助谱写马刺传说的新篇章。
“我是说，这感觉就像是他们在托着我们前行，你懂吗？”文班亚马说，“他们正在引导我们走向正确的方向。”
福克斯表示，这些前辈的价值并不在于宏篇大论的演讲，或是摆出“想当年我如何如何”的姿态。而是在于关于卡位或多传一次球的细节指点。正是这些微小的优势，累积成了决定性的优势。
“我打球那会儿，波波最爱说的一句话就是：在比赛中带点‘狠劲（nasty）’，”霍里说，“看看他们的后卫，打球都带着一股狠劲。所以你必须打得有侵略性。你必须抱有一种绝不任人宰割——我用‘被欺负（punked）’这个词——的过硬心态，或者就是上场拼尽全力，然后顺其自然。”
这正是这支球队的特别之处。整个赛季，马刺队看起来就像是一群提前兑现天赋、充满乐趣的黑马，但他们如今代表着更宏大的意义：一个几十年来一直是行业黄金标准的王朝，正围绕着一位未来的历史最佳（GOAT）候选人，重返昔日的荣耀巅峰。
尽管这是全新的一代，但成功的要素依然齐备。从波波到首席执行官R.C.·布福德 (R.C. Buford)，再到常在大楼里出现的名人堂成员，所有的导师都已各就各位，随时准备帮助这家“初创公司”瞬间完成“上市（IPO）”。像文班亚马和卡斯尔这样的球员，展现出了狠劲与专注的完美结合，这既承袭了过去，也塑造着未来。
“我觉得他们应对得很好——我不想用‘优雅’这个词，但他们确实欣然接受了挑战，并且渴望成为其中的一部分，”福克斯说，“你带着敬畏之心和责任感去面对，因为你深知，当你穿上这身球衣时，你就承载着人们的期望。”
他们的标准是永远专注于过程。而这一标准正由一群甚至还没到租车年龄的孩子们，以及年仅28岁、每次被叫“大叔”都有些哭笑不得的福克斯共同磨砺。他已经是这支球队里资历最深的老将了。这支球队就是如此年轻。
专注于过程弥补了他们经验的不足。马刺队不需要刻意去琢磨如何赢下某场总决赛，他们只需要知道圣安东尼奥马刺队一贯是如何去赢下比赛的。不要把舞台背景误当成了故事主线。
“我觉得赢球是这个联盟里最让人上瘾的事情，”约翰逊说，“今年就是最好的证明；能够赢球并为球队的胜利做出贡献，比我过去所做的任何事情都更有意义。”
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。
点击查看原文：Tight-knit Spurs look to the past while working toward their own golden future
Tight-knit Spurs look to the past while working toward their own golden future
SAN ANTONIO — Julian Champagnie felt something click in Las Vegas. As he and his San Antonio Spurs teammates converged on NBA Summer League last year to watch their future teammates Dylan Harper, Carter Bryant and David-Jones Garcia make their debuts, he picked up on a vibe.
The connection just felt right. The group knew this season would be a step forward. Victor Wembanyama was being cleared to return to basketball activity following a blood clot that had ended his season in February. De’Aaron Fox was ready to go as well after a wrist injury. Stephon Castle was primed for a step forward after winning NBA Rookie of the Year. Everybody was ready to see what the next stage of their careers would look like.
And they were ready to do it together. From underwater workouts to breaking bread, they found all sorts of things to do as a group before the season ever started. It took a while for the product on the court to truly click, but the vibes were locked in long before that.
“The group loves each other. It’s genuine. We’re a tight-knit group,” Keldon Johnson said. “I feel like when you see one of us, you see all of us. That’s how it’s been from the start. I don’t know why, I don’t know how, but it’s been just like it clicked from day one.”
Few players have benefited as much as Champagnie. A former two-way player who barely held onto a job in the league, he entered the season as the team’s sharpshooter off the bench. Eventually, he moved into the starting lineup, replacing veteran and former champion Harrison Barnes in January.
Both players handled it with grace; the team took off and has been elite ever since, culminating in an appearance in the NBA Finals against the New York Knicks beginning Wednesday night.
“The team has done a really good job of keeping us together, having us do things in summer league, where it’s team dinner, team activities. You’ve seen the video of Vic in the pool in the summertime. We all went,” Champagnie said. “Keeping ourselves connected and combined. We’ve been doing that since June, July last year.
“That’s why you come to the locker room; you see us on the court in June this year, it looks like that. It’s a credit to that. We’ve been doing that for quite a while now.”
They could tell, watching Wembanyama’s offseason workouts, that they were all on board for something special. He was about to charge ahead and disrupt the league, and they were the chosen few there to support it.
It’s a lot easier to put aside your own goals in support of the next great thing, knowing that the rising tide will lift all ships. That’s what happened, with Champagnie breaking the franchise 3-point record, Fox returning to the All-Star Game and Johnson winning NBA Sixth Man of the Year.
“There’s a point where you look in the mirror, and you want to be a part of something special or you want to chase personal goals,” Johnson said. “Being here and being throughout this season and winning has been an ultimate reward. It just shows that everything was worth it.”
Julian Champagnie has fit right in with the Spurs after bouncing around the NBA. (Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
Now they are approaching a place ruled by their Spurs forefathers. It’s no longer easy to say “this is the beginning of a dynasty” — just ask the Oklahoma City Thunder. There hasn’t been a repeat champion since Kevin Durant teamed up with Steph Curry with the Golden State Warriors last decade.
However, the Spurs have a chance if they can start now. Robert Horry, who won championships with the Spurs in 2005 and 2007, sees an attitude in this team that reminds him of back then.
“There’s levels to this because you look at the good teams, when they step on the court, they have an attitude that they’re the best,” Horry told The Athletic. “They have an attitude like, ‘Oh, we going to win this game.’ And some people say it’s cockiness, but I call it confidence, and it’s OK to be cocky and confident in sports because that’s what the best players are.”
Part of that comes from some of those Spurs of old who are still lurking in the halls. Longtime coach Gregg Popovich has become significantly more present with the team in his “El Jefe” role, which has ranged from greeting the team at the airport to calling players after games to give them feedback.
“I saw Pop right away when we landed,” Wembanyama said. “The emotion was really something I haven’t felt in a while. I don’t even know since when.”
Horry sees it as Popovich’s new way of staying in the mix and putting his heart into the team.
“This city is him, and he is this city,” Horry said. “And I think, for me, that’s his way of just being involved and having the opportunity to still put his thumbprint on the game.”
Popovich even marched into the locker room and gave the team a speech that helped it turn the conference finals around after its Game 3 loss at home. Most importantly, he has been a mentor to his successor as coach, Mitch Johnson.
“I cannot have created a better rhythm or build-out of him being a constant resource for me, but then also totally giving me the freedom and runway to try to roll this thing out in my own reflection as myself,” Johnson said. “That’s pretty valuable. To be honest, I don’t know if anyone’s ever had that opportunity that I’ve had this year.
“I don’t take that for granted. It’s not lost on me the impact he’s had, while also empowering me to be myself.”
The past is all around this team. The Spurs often talk about showing up to practice, and there’s Manu Ginobili, there’s Tim Duncan. As they try to build a long-term program that will stand the test of time, they do it under the guidance of the tentpoles of yesteryear. Legends and culture builders helping to create a new iteration of Spurs lore.
“I mean, it’s like they’re carrying us, you know?” Wembanyama said. “They’re guiding us in the right direction.”
Fox said their value doesn’t come from big speeches or demonstrative acts of “back in my day.” It’s little tidbits about a box out or an extra pass. These are small edges that add up to the edge.
“Pop’s favorite saying when I was playing was, bring a little nasty to the game,” Horry said. “You think about their guards, they all play with a little nastiness. So you got to be aggressive. You got to have the mentality that you’re not going to get, I use the word punked, or you’re just going to go out and play hard and let whatever happens, happen.”
That’s all part of what makes this team special. All season, the Spurs seemed like the fun upstarts ahead of schedule, but they’ve come to represent something so much bigger: a return to glory for a franchise that was the gold standard for decades, built around a potential GOAT.
Even though it’s a new generation, the ingredients are all still there. From Pop to CEO R.C. Buford to the Hall of Famers lingering in the building, all the mentors are in place to help a startup go to IPO in a heartbeat. Players like Wembanyama and Castle have embodied a blend of nastiness and dedication that resembles the past and shapes the future.
“I think they’ve handled it — I don’t want to say with grace, but they’ve stepped into it, and they want to be a part of that,” Fox said. “You handle it with a level of respect and with a level of responsibility, knowing that when you put this jersey on that you have an expectation.”
The standard is to always go through the process. It’s being honed by a bunch of kids who can’t rent a car yet, and by Fox, who is only 28 and gets half-annoyed every time they call him “Unc.” He is the OG on this team. That’s how young they are.
Working through the process makes up for their lack of experience. The Spurs don’t have to know how to win an NBA Finals game so much as they have to know how the San Antonio Spurs try to win games. Don’t mistake the setting for the plot.
“I feel like winning is the most addictive thing in this league,” Johnson said. “This year is a testament to that; being able to win and contribute to us winning means more than anything that I’ve done in the past.”
By Jared Weiss, via The Athletic