NAIA to NBA: After 2-Way Deal, Spurs' Riley Minix Has 'Nothing Left to Prove'

Whether it be Riley the basketball player or Riley the person, Minix has more than earned his shot in the NBA, and playing for the San Antonio Spurs on a two-way deal isn't something he takes lightly.

Oct 12, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Riley Minix (27) in the second half against the Utah Jazz at Frost Bank Center. / Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

SAN ANTONIO — Riley Minix's favorite color as a child was orange.

Among other options, it made sense. Growing up in Vero Beach, Fla., Riley became a young Florida Gators fan, and if their second primary color wasn't enough, the orange was Florida's state fruit.

Beyond those things, however, Riley's mother, Kathy Minix, proposed another reason: orange was the color of a basketball, and symbolized a passion she recognized in her son almost instantly.

"I knew he always had a desire to play basketball," Kathy explained. "I think his first word was ball. Before mama or dada."

San Antonio Spurs rookie Riley Minix, as a child, dribbling a basketball on pavement. / Photo courtesy of Kathy Minix

He got there. It wasn't long before he acknowledged both Kathy and his father Sean Minix, but as he grew up, basketball remained central to his life. Whether it was watching his cousins play at AAU — and later the collegiate level — or beginning his own career, Riley long had his goals in front of him.

They were lofty, and he knew it, but he wasn't going to be content with anything other than a shot at playing in the NBA.

After four years at Southeastern University and a final season at Morehead State, he landed a Summer League contract and later a two-way deal with the San Antonio Spurs as a 24-year-old rookie — an age that already sets him apart on his new team.

"It's hard to call him a rookie," Spurs veteran Keldon Johnson said, "because he's my age."

That doesn't much bother Riley. His route to a professional career that aligned with his childhood passion was never going to be easy; it's something he's more proud of than anything.

READ MORE: Spurs Finalize 2-Way Deal with Standout Rookie Riley Minix

And his journey? He hasn't taken it for granted.

Beneath the 24-year-old who feels he's earned his shot is a kid whose dream was realized. Getting there took both Riley the basketball player and Riley the person.

Turns out, they were equally instrumental.

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A young passion for basketball became a dream job for Riley in the third grade, about two hours south of Vero Beach.

Kathy had taken her son to watch his cousin at an AAU tournament at ESPN's Wide World of Sports Complex. Riley wasn't even 10 yet, but watching the level at which his cousin was competing was nothing short of mesmerizing.

That was all it took.

"We walked out of there, and he said: 'This is what I want to do,'" Kathy explained.

Obviously, Riley wasn't near ready to compete with his brother, but if he wanted to play basketball, Kathy and Sean wanted to help him get there. Kathy began searching for AAU teams in the area, but being between two major cities — Palm Beach and Orlando — proved difficult in that regard.

Sean, Zack, Riley and Grady Minix pose for a photo in Florida Gators gear on the back of a Gator in Gainesville, Fla. / Photo courtesy of Kathy Minix

"I have three other kids," Kathy said. "So, unless I was going to travel to Orlando (constantly), it was just unlikely to happen."

After the search ran cold, the Minixes settled for recreational basketball. Riley, the third of four sons, kept his passion flowing behind his two older siblings, Sean and Zack, with his younger brother, Grady, rounding out the pack. That's when an opportunity struck.

Kathy Minix — sitting in a gym similar to the one she did as a kid when her brother, Bill Griffin, played basketball at Lehigh University— was approached by former Milwaukee Bucks guard Bennie Shaw during one of Sean's practices, who claimed to have an opening on his fifth-grade AAU team.

The UCF athletics Hall-of-Famer was somewhat of a local hero because of his past, yet when Kathy returned home to do some research on her son's potential coach, she couldn't find him.

"I Googled his name wrong," Kathy said, laughing. "I thought his name was Bernie Shaw."

Once Kathy stumbled upon Shaw's true identity, she gave him a call, inquiring about the spot he'd talked about a few days prior. The coach confirmed, and Kathy agreed to take Sean and Zack to practice at a local middle school gym.

There was one stipulation, however.

"Can I bring my third grader?" she asked.

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Riley Minix's favorite basketball player growing up was Kevin Durant.

The Oklahoma City Thunder legend-turned-NBA-journeyman was unique. He was tall and lanky, but shot like a point guard. For Riley — a taller shooter himself — that was admirable.

And, perhaps like watching his cousin, also mesmerizing.

"He was my favorite just because of how easy it looked (for him)," Riley said. "How efficient he was, and how he was able to put the ball in the basket."

Years later, Riley still admires Durant's game. He still loves how effortlessly his shot comes, but no longer is he a clear-cut favorite. In fact, the Spurs rookie claims no one is.

"I wouldn't say I have a favorite," he said. "I just like watching basketball; when people play it the right way and make it look easy."

From the beginning, that aspect of Riley's game was clear to Kathy. He was tough enough to compete on Shaw's fifth-grade team despite being two years younger, and possessed a natural talent with the ball in his hands.

The development that followed his initial taste of competitive basketball?

Riley's handiwork, but Shaw's teaching.

Riley worked with his coach from third grade, when he first joined AAU, through sophomore year of high school, when he played for Vero Beach under coach Shane Whitsett.

Riley Minix pulls up for a midrange jump shot while playing AAU basketball under coach Benny Shaw. / Photo courtesy of Kathy Minix

The pair mostly focused on fundamentals during practices — triple threat was just the tip of the iceberg — which Riley oft bemoaned, yet thoroughly enjoyed.

"He would come home ... frustrated," Kathy said, "but I just knew he loved it. It was a desire. My older two, they liked it, but he loved it, you know? It was different."

So, he kept at it. Riley played for Vero Beach's freshman team before moving to junior varsity the year following. His latter two seasons he spent on varsity, and while both ended in the playoffs at the hands of the Osceola Kowboys, he made enough of an impression to garner some attention at the collegiate level, averaging 17.4 points and 6.7 rebounds in his final year.

That in of itself was the payoff, though the added bonus was that those four years were free. The ones that came before were anything but, though Sean and Kathy chose to see Riley's AAU days, and cost, as an investment in his future.

"We called it our 401(r) plan," Kathy explained, adding that the "r" was short for Riley. "We knew he would play college, we just didn't know where. But we thought, well, if paying for AAU pays for college, it's certainly worth it."

As Riley weighed his commitment, he had a few scholarship offers on the table from NAIA schools and a couple of Division II programs willing to give him a shot, though nothing from Division I.

"He wasn't surprised by that," Kathy said. "He (also) didn't know much about the NAIA. We told him to take the hand he was dealt, and he wanted to play."

For the high school senior, that was paramount. Playing for an NAIA program on scholarship meant he'd get minutes; a chance to showcase what he was capable of right away. It also meant he'd be able to take the burden of paying for college off of his parents' plate.

Sean and Kathy had paid for AAU and started him on the path that he pre-determined would lead him to the NBA. Now, it was his turn.

Riley committed to Southeastern University in Lakeland, Fla., on May 3, 2019, set to join the Fire as a zero star recruit with the world to prove.

'Atomic Habits'

Sitting in a "dungy little" locker room shortly after arriving to Southeastern, a freshman Riley Minix outlined his simple, yet airy plan with Kevin Lubbers.

The first-year Fire coach had asked for it; a way for him to get to know the players he'd inherited after leaving the University of Colorado Colorado Springs for his new gig. And while he wasn't new to coaching, he was new to Southeastern.

Yet what Riley had told him he'd heard plenty of times before.

"It was funny," Lubbers said. "That was the very first time I ever met with him. He said: 'I'm going to play in the NBA,' and a lot of kids say that, but I don't know. He said it in a way that told me he believed what he was saying."

Riley might have believed in internally, but part of him wasn't even sure whether or not that was a goal he should have shared with his new coach.

"It's kind of crazy I said that, right?" Riley recalled with a laugh. "I didn't really know what the right thing and the wrong thing was to say. It was freshman year. I wasn't highly recruited, but wow.

"Look where we are today."

Sep 30, 2024; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward forward Riley Minix (27) poses for photos during Media Day at Victory Capital Performance Center in San Antonio. / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Riley's end goal did end up coming true, but as a freshman, it might have been hard to picture, especially given that Lubbers was a different coach than the one who recruited him.

Throughout that process, then-Southeastern head coach R-Jay Barsh and assistant coach Randy Lee had been involved in keeping him in the state. In their words, Riley could "do a little bit of everything," which intrigued them.

But before Riley could get to campus, Barsh accepted an assistant coaching role at Boise State, and Lee followed suit, joining Polk State College's coaching staff. As quickly as they departed, Lubbers was hired to fill the gap and suddenly, the landscape Riley was expecting was turned on its side.

"There was an adjustment period," Kathy Minix said, "because he had to now prove himself all over again. (Lubbers) had never seen him play. He was going to have to work at it."

As Kathy noted, that wasn't ever a deterrent for Riley.

But it was certainly "scary."

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One of the first things the Fire was subjected to was a coach-mandated evacuation.

Lubbers, upset at the disorderly state of the Fire's home locker room, decided to use the mess as a teaching moment that doubled as a tone-setter for the year. He put his foot down the first chance he got.

"I told them all to gather their things," Lubbers said. "They didn't have a locker room anymore."

For the ensuing weeks, Lubbers' squad used public dressing rooms and public restrooms as a makeshift pregame space until the coach deemed the players ready to reinhabit the locker room.

After that, the issue dissolved, but not before leaving an impression on Riley.

"I remember him calling and saying: 'Coach Lubbers said we have to clear out the locker room,'" Kathy said. "'I don't know what's going on. I don't know what to do.'"

Kathy reassured her son in the moment, but it wasn't long before he took the change as a challenge.

"It was such a wake up call," she said, "but I really think some of the things that Coach did ... really earned Riley's respect."

Southeastern University Fire forward Riley Minix (20) warms up prior to a game during his freshman season. / Photo via Southeastern University Athletics

As the season went on, Riley continued to prove himself on the Fire. He averaged 14.6 points and 7.6 rebounds on 50 percent shooting from the field and 40 percent from 3, though his shooting wasn't the only thing he brought to the table.

"He's extremely strong," then-Southeastern Assistant Athletic Director Mike Vigue said. "Even as a freshman, he was physically a lot stronger than people. Guys had a hard time guarding him because he was so versatile."

Those same things Lubbers noticed, too, but what stuck out the most about Riley was his desire to go beyond surface level with every concept he was approached with.

"He really wanted to grow," Lubbers explained, adding that Riley had a strong instinct for the game. "He wanted to understand every detail: 'Why are we doing this? So, we'd talk about it. He'd come watch film, and we would talk through things.

"As a coach, you just love that. He made it easy."

Riley's stats increased during his sophomore year — by then, Lee had returned to Lakeland as an assistant under Lubbers — and he was still hard on his trajectory toward playing professionally.

Lubbers and Riley continued to get closer, and by the time his junior year rolled around, their relationship extended beyond the basketball court.

"We read books together," Lubbers said. "We talked about life. Things that are uncommon for a lot of kids."

Each of Lubbers' three seasons, a handful of Riley's teammates, accepting an open invite, would join their teammate and coach and the group would "nose through" a book looking for topics to digest.

Leading that discussion with Riley is something Lubbers thoroughly enjoyed. Even still, the pair read books annually. This year's title?

"Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones" by James Clear.

Whether it was reading, passing or shooting, Riley found his niche at Southeastern, and for him, that was half the battle of his collegiate career.

"On every team I've been on, I've always wanted to find my role," Riley said. "Getting out of my comfort zone and finding out who I truly was, whether that was on or off the court ... I feel like Southeastern really helped me do that."

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The change didn't stop once Barsh left for Boise State before Riley's freshman year.

After Riley's junior season, when he averaged a 22-point, 11-rebound double-double on 53 percent shooting from the field, Lubbers announced his resignation from coaching.

The change didn’t shake their bond, but it left Riley in familiar territory: adapting to a new reality. Fortunately, this time it was a return to his roots, as Randy Lee — the coach who recruited him — stepped back in to lead the Fire.

By that point, the idea of Riley playing professionally was no longer an airy dream. NBA franchises began to express interest in watching the senior play, including the New York Knicks, and the pressure increased from that point on.

But Lee and Riley didn't talk about it too much until the end of his senior season was in sight.

"I didn't want to put any additional pressure on him," Lee said, "but probably towards the middle of his last year with us, we told him: 'You're going to have an opportunity, and what you do with it will be up to you, but teams will have interest."

Southeastern University Fire forward Riley Minix (20) shoots the ball during a game during his freshman season. / Photo via Southeastern University Athletics

Riley kept working from that point, but it quickly became clear that if he wanted to truly get his shot to play in the NBA, he'd benefit from a year at a higher level.

That was something that neither Lee nor Lubbers took personally.

"Riley had a lot of development in those first few years," Lubbers explained. "There were areas of his game that he could groom and grow right where he was at ... (but) there came a time when he kind of hit a ceiling. It was sort of 'I can be pushed harder. I can grow more, but not here anymore.'"

Riley's best season at Southeastern concluded with the forward averaging just shy of 30 points per game. Over his four years, he'd been named the Sun Conference Freshman of the Year, Player of the Year twice and written his name in Southeastern's record books 29 times.

He'd helped run the chain crew for Southeastern football games, cleaned up water bottles after a 40-point game — a testament to his character, Vigue says — and left an indelible mark on the Fire.

"Some of the biggest things I learned was just about myself," he said. "Who I am as a player; a leader. I just found out all those things individually."

With that knowledge, he moved over to Morehead State for his final collegiate season. In one year, he again averaged a double-double on 50 percent shooting from the field, and helped lead the Eagles to just their second NCAA Tournament berth in 13 years.

"Halfway through the year," Riley said, "I found my voice. I found my leadership, and that was a big thing that helped us make a pretty big run."

Playing for the Eagles was another opportunity for the forward — one he seized, as goes his mantra — and another chance to achieve a dream.

What made the deal sweeter was it launching him into the NBA stratosphere.

Nothing Left to Prove

When Riley Minix heard the news, he picked up the phone and dialed his parents.

After a successful Summer League outing, which Riley competed on under an Exhibit 10 contract, he emerged as the third and final player offered a two-way deal with the Silver & Black.

One spot was reserved for Harrison Ingram, who San Antonio still wanted to work with after taking him in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft, while the other was given to David Duke Jr. — another Summer League standout who'd spent some time with the Spurs in 2023.

Minix, in a sense, being the only one without prior exposure, was the lucky winner.

"We just told him we were really proud of him," Kathy said. "We believed that he deserved that. He worked for it and earned it."

Riley's journey to get there was far from traditional, but that made it all the sweeter. He was a product of those around him, from his family to his coaches, and he knew that.

So, he made a second phone call, this time to Lubbers' 12-year-old son, Nash.

"(Riley) just picked up the phone and said: 'Hey man, how are you doing?'" Lubbers said. "He was asking him how he was doing in the classroom; how he was doing in life. It's just amazing to watch him invest in a little 12-year-old kid. He doesn't have to do that, but he chooses to do things like that."

Throughout Riley's time at Southeastern, Nash had grown fond of the versatile forward. Lubbers described him as a mentor to his son — Riley was "that guy."

"I mean, he'd rather know Riley than Victor (Wembanyama)," the coach said.

San Antonio Spurs forward Riley Minix (27) throws the ball in bounds while on assignment with the Austin Spurs at H-E-B Center at Cedar Park. / Photo via the Austin Spurs

For Nash, knowing Riley was about as exciting as it got. Was that surprising? Not at all. At every level, Riley was committed to staying grounded in who he was.

That much he thanked his mother for, but she only took so much credit.

"There's something internal there," Kathy said. "I can't take credit for that, nor his father. I think it's just always been when he learned a lot of it had to do with basketball."

When it came to playing AAU, good grades in school were required. When it came to having the right to a locker room at Southeastern, cleanliness was the kicker.

"He had to do all the things," Kathy said, "and have a good attitude ... to be able to play. And I think that was just something that was very internal for him."

Riley certainly agreed.

"All the little things add up," he said. "I try to be the best human I can be, and that that comes from my faith and how I was raised. I've always wanted to make my parents proud, my family proud and respect everybody I come in contact with. Put a smile on their face."

Riley Minix, as a child, sitting in the bucket of a front-end loader. / Photo courtesy of Kathy Minix

Whether it was making him smile or impressing him with his basketball IQ — a trait highly desired in San Antonio — that bit of Riley's personality crept into his time throughout Summer League and training camp, making him what Gregg Popovich described as a "pleasant surprise."

READ MORE: No Matter the Voice, Popovich's Impact Looms

"He's a tough young man," the Spurs coach said. "He is intelligent. He learns. And he can shoot the basketball ... I didn't know who the heck he was when he came in, but he made me notice."

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In six games for the Austin Spurs, Riley has averaged 20.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.5 stocks on 54 percent shooting from the field and 41 percent from 3.

While he'd need a few more rebounds to match the double-double he averaged in his final seasons of college, he's been consistent. That's high on the list of goals for the rookie, but not quite No. 1, which he made clear after experiencing a few days under a two-way deal as a comparatively older player.

"I'm really just wanting to learn because it's a different game in the NBA," Riley said. "(Whether) it's from the younger guys or the older guys, I really just want to sit back and gain as much knowledge as I can."

As Lubbers might tell you, that's on brand for him.

"To be able to go into environment and ... sit there and pick Chris Paul's brain," Lubbers said, "or watch these veterans and experts in the game — he's like a kid in a candy store."

With the mainstay Spurs, Riley has only notched seven regular-season minutes, and they came in the back half of the fourth quarter in the wrong side of a blowout against the Houston Rockets.

That game he didn't show much, but with the time he's spent in practice with the full-time players, he's left his impact there, too.

"He’s pretty fearless," Spurs rookie Stephon Castle said. "He’s not scared of any moment. He can really shoot it and his defense has gotten way better (from) when I first saw him in Summer League."

Part of that is because of his conversations with Paul or Harrison Barnes — Ingram, too, who he sees most days in Austin and "does everything with" — but the other part is his natural progression.

"I love playing basketball," Riley said. "I'm going to do it the right way. I'm gonna do it how I've been doing it my whole life. I'm going to learn along the way ... but I'm still going to have fun with it.

"I'll make the right plays and shoot the right shots."

Oct 9, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Riley Minix (27) shoots over Orlando Magic forward Jalen Slawson (18) in the second half at Frost Bank Center. / Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Kevin Lubbers, watching from the bleachers at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, took in a scene that he was new to. Riley Minix, the freshman who once sat in a locker room with him and mapped out his dream of playing in the NBA, was on the court, vying for a roster spot.

Up to that point, the struggle was even landing on the radar of a team willing to give him a chance. Coming from Vero Beach, that wasn't a guarantee. But Riley made it such.

"I just remembered back to that story when he was just sitting in the locker room with me," Lubbers said. "And, well, it's really cool to see a kid's dreams come true."

Later that evening, Lubbers joined the Minixes for dinner. It was there he learned more about Kathy and Sean and where Riley's relationship with his parents became even clearer.

"That was a really fun time to just laugh and tell stories," Lubbers said. "His family's always been at the center of who he is and what he's all about."

That night at dinner, Riley's future was uncertain. The Spurs could have waived him just as easily as they ended up signing him for the season, but for Riley, that was beauty of it.

He had gotten there. That's what mattered most.

"If (the) opportunity doesn't work out," Kathy said, "he's still him. And he's OK with that."

From being the lone third grader on Bennie Shaw's AAU squad to becoming a rarity out of Vero Beach with a collegiate basketball scholarship and later the first NAIA player to make the NBA, all Riley did was be himself.

When he opens his copy of "Atomic Habits" from Lubbers, he'll be the same Riley who used to read with him in Lakeland, and when arriving to practice in Austin or San Antonio, the same will be true.

Riley Minix has plenty to learn. He has plenty to work on.

But, according to him, he has nothing left to prove.

"I've taken on a challenge each and every day," he said. "It's allowed me to be here today. I know who I am. I know what I bring to the table, and I feel like that will come to light."