By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2026-07-05 14:17:32
加利福尼亚州旧金山 - 7月3日：在2026年7月3日于加利福尼亚州旧金山大通中心举行的加州经典赛（NBA夏季联赛）下半场比赛中，圣安东尼奥马刺队17号贾科比·吉莱斯皮在迈阿密热火队7号赖安·康威尔防守下投篮。
旧金山讯——新秀后卫贾科比·吉莱斯皮 (Ja’Kobi Gillespie) 发现自己是马刺夏季联赛阵容中身材最矮小的球员之一，但他对此并不感到意外。
对于这位身高6英尺1英寸（约1米85）的前田纳西大学志愿者队成员来说，从他第一次拿起篮球开始，这在很大程度上就已经是他的生活常态了。
“我一直都是场上最矮的球员，”吉莱斯皮说道，“所以我觉得，在这样的环境下长大，反而让我为在更高水平的赛场上打球做好了准备。”
矮小的身材并没有阻止吉莱斯皮在田纳西大学的大四赛季入选东南联盟（SEC）最佳阵容，也没有阻止马刺在上个月的NBA选秀大会次轮选中他。
随着夏季联赛在旧金山如火如荼地进行，吉莱斯皮旨在向全世界——首先是马刺的教练组——证明，他的身材同样不会阻碍他在NBA级别展现出高效的实力。
“我觉得我依然能够对赢球产生影响，”吉莱斯皮说道。
当然，这一切都是相对而言的。
如果吉莱斯皮是一名律师，他可能是律师事务所里最高的人。然而，按照现代NBA后场的标准来看，吉莱斯皮简直就像是“小人国”的居民。
在这个连控球后卫都将身材和防守多功能性视为必备要素的联盟里，22岁的吉莱斯皮正试图成为一个有些“复古”的存在。
吉莱斯皮的名字是以洛杉矶湖人队球星科比·布莱恩特 (Kobe Bryant) 命名的，但他从小模仿的打法却是另一位小个子控卫克里斯·保罗 (Chris Paul)。
此外，他也情不自禁地注意到，上个月的总决赛最有价值球员——纽约尼克斯队后卫杰伦·布伦森 (Jalen Brunson)——也绝对算不上高大。
碰巧的是，马刺夏季联赛阵容中唯一比他还要矮小的球员，同样也是前田纳西大学志愿者队成员。
身高5英尺9英寸（约1米75）的后卫扎凯·齐格勒 (Zakai Ziegler) 曾在2024年和2025年两度荣膺SEC年度最佳防守球员，随后在上赛季前往法国俱乐部楠泰尔92队（Nanterre 92）效力，那也是维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 曾效力过的球队之一。
在吉莱斯皮看来，他可以用无比强大的内心来弥补身材上的不足。
“我觉得作为一名小个子后卫，你必须打得足够强硬，”吉莱斯皮说道，“你不能让人欺负你，你必须变得强壮。”
从投篮的角度来看，吉莱斯皮的NBA夏季联赛首秀进行得并不顺利。
在周五于旧金山举行的加州经典赛揭幕战中，马刺以87-88惜败于迈阿密热火，吉莱斯皮全场17投仅3中。随着马刺队于周日重返大通中心迎战金州勇士队，他渴望在投篮端迎来反弹。
吉莱斯皮表示，与他所习惯的大学联赛相比，他最大的调整在于职业比赛的速度。
“我注意到的一件事就是比赛节奏太快了，”吉莱斯皮说道，“攻防转换来回折返，速度极快。”
吉莱斯皮的夏季联赛主帅科利斯·威廉姆森 (Corliss Williamson) 坚信，这位新秀会重新找回投篮手感。上赛季在田纳西大学，吉莱斯皮凭借场均18.3分的表现成为了SEC联盟的顶尖得分手之一。
除了手感不佳之外，威廉姆森对吉莱斯皮在首场夏季联赛中作为控球后卫的表现感到满意，并指出他在对阵热火的比赛中送出了全队最高的8次助攻。
“这其中绝对有一些闪光点，”威廉姆森说道，“我认为他控球很好。在我们需要组织进攻的时候，他把大家组织得井井有条。他能够突入禁区，获得一些空位机会，并为其他队友创造机会。”
谈到吉莱斯皮，马刺教练组有理由保持乐观。他在田纳西大学的履历不言自明。
在贝尔蒙特大学度过了前两个大学赛季，并在马里兰大学度过了一个赛季后，吉莱斯皮在大四转学到了志愿者队，并帮助里克·巴恩斯 (Rick Barnes) 执教的球队打进了NCAA锦标赛的八强。
在大四学年的31场比赛中，他有29场得分上双，其中有12场得分达到20+，并成为该赛区历史上首位在单赛季贡献至少100个三分球和200次助攻的球员。
在田纳西大学期间，吉莱斯皮绝非一名偏科的单向球员。
他以79次抢断创下了学校单赛季抢断纪录，并以单场8次抢断创下了单场纪录——吉莱斯皮在上赛季曾两次达到这一数据。
尽管身高只有6英尺1英寸，吉莱斯皮誓言他的防守能力同样能够适应更高水平的赛场。
“这绝对需要一个调整的过程，”吉莱斯皮说道，“因为这里有身体素质更劲爆、身材更高大的家伙。”
在与马刺签下一份双向合同后，吉莱斯皮注定要在发展联盟（G League）度过他新秀赛季的大部分时间。
他将有时间站稳脚跟，去了解这个联盟，并学习如何在NBA级别的赛场上争取上场时间。
“他会继续学习，继续成长，”威廉姆森说道，“我们很高兴能拥有他。”
当然，吉莱斯皮在字面意义上（身高上）是不太可能继续长高了。
他将永远是6英尺1英寸，这意味着他将永远在与比自己高大的球员对抗。
正如他在整个篮球生涯中所做的那样，吉莱斯皮力求在NBA中找到自己的立足之道。
“我一直都是最矮的，”吉莱斯皮说道，“但在打球时，我不再觉得自己是场上最矮小的那个人了。”
由生成式 AI 翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
查看原文：How Spurs rookie Ja'Kobi Gillespie aims to score one for the NBA's lit
How Spurs rookie Ja’Kobi Gillespie aims to score one for the NBA’s lit
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 03: Ja’Kobi Gillespie #17 of the San Antonio Spurs shoots over Ryan Conwell #7 of the Miami Heat during the second half in the California Classic a NBA Summer League game at Chase Center on July 03, 2026 in San Francisco, California.
SAN FRANCISCO — Rookie guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie was not surprised to find himself among the smallest players on the Spurs’ Summer League roster.
For the 6-foot-1 former Tennessee Volunteer, that has more or less been a way of life from the time he first picked up a basketball.
“I’ve always been the smallest player,” Gillespie said. “So I think just growing up like that kind of got me ready to play at a higher level.”
Gillespie’s small stature did not prevent him from turning in an All-SEC season at Tennessee as a senior. Nor did it stop the Spurs from selecting him in the second round of last month’s NBA draft.
With Summer League in full swing in San Francisco, Gillespie is out to show the world — starting with the Spurs’ coaching staff — that his size won’t keep him from being a productive player at the NBA level, either.
“I think I can still impact winning,” Gillespie said.
All of this is relative, of course.
If Gillespie were an attorney, he might be the tallest person at the law firm. By the standards of modern NBA backcourts, however, Gillespie is practically Lilliputian.
In a league in which size and defensive versatility are viewed as must-have items, even for point guards, the 22-year-old Gillespie is seeking to become a bit of a throwback.
Gillespie was named after Los Angeles Lakers’ star Kobe Bryant, but grew up modeling his game on another pint-sized point guard, Chris Paul.
Furthermore, he could not help but notice the Most Valuable Player of last month’s NBA Finals — New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson — isn’t exactly a skyscraper either.
The only player smaller on the Spurs’ Summer League roster, coincidentally enough, is also a former Tennessee Volunteer.
Zakai Ziegler, a 5-foot-9 guard, was a two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2024 and 2025 before spending last season playing professionally with the French club Nanterre 92, one of Victor Wembanyama’s former teams.
The way Gillespie sees it, he can make up for his lack of size with an abundance of heart.
“I feel like as a small guard, you just got to be a dog,” Gillespie said. “You can’t let people pick on you. You’ve got to be strong.”
From a shooting perspective, Gillespie’s NBA Summer League debut did not go so well.
Gillespie went 3-of-17 in the Spurs’ 88-87 loss to Miami in the opener at the California Classic on Friday in San Francisco. He was looking for a bounce-back in that department as the Spurs’ squad returned to the Chase Center to face Golden State on Sunday.
Gillespie said his biggest adjustment came in the speed of the professional game compared from what he was used to in college.
“One thing I noticed was how fast it was,” Gillespie said. “It’s up and down and up and down.”
Corliss Williamson, Gillespie’s Summer League coach, is confident the rookie will rediscover the shooting stroke that made Gillespie one of the SEC’s top scorers last season at 18.3 points per game.
Aside from wayward shooting, Williamson was pleased with Gillespie’s work as a point guard in his first Summer League contest, noting he led the Spurs with eight assists against the Heat.
“There were definitely some good things there,” Williamson said. “I thought he handled the ball well. He got us organized when we needed to get organized. He was able to get into the paint, get some open looks and create for the other guys.”
The Spurs’ coaching staff has reason to be optimistic when it comes to Gillespie. His resume at Tennessee speaks for itself.
After spending his first two college seasons at Belmont and one at Maryland, Gillespie transferred to the Volunteers program as a senior and helped lead the Rick Barnes-coached club to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament.
He scored in double figures in 29 of his 31 contests as a senior, with a dozen 20-point outings, and became the first player in conference history to log at least 100 3-pointers and 200 assists in a season.
Gillespie was hardly a one-way player for Tennessee.
He established the school record for steals with 79 and set the single-game mark with eight – a number Gillespie reached twice last season.
Even at 6-1, Gillespie vows the defensive part of his game will translate to the next level.
“It will definitely be an adjustment,” Gillespie said. “There are more athletic, bigger guys.”
Having signed a two-way contract with the Spurs, Gillespie is ticketed to spend the bulk of his rookie season in the G League.
He will have time to get his feet underneath him, learn the league and learn what it takes to see the floor at the NBA level.
“He’s going to continue to learn and continue to grow,” Williamson said. “We’re happy to have him.”
Of course, Gillespie is unlikely to continue to grow literally.
He will always be 6-1, which means he will always be playing against players bigger than he is.
As he has done throughout his basketball-playing life, Gillespie aims to make it work for him in the NBA.
“I’ve always been the smallest,” Gillespie said. “But I don’t feel like the smallest on the court anymore when I’m playing.”
By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News