Inside The Spurs

Spurs Starter, Tuesday, July 23, 2024: Victor Wembanyama Stars in New Nike Ad Campaign

Your daily briefing on what's going on with the San Antonio Spurs, including news, draft & more.

Matt Guzman

Feb 7, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama (1) blocks a shot against Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) during the first quarter at Kaseya Center.
Feb 7, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama (1) blocks a shot against Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) during the first quarter at Kaseya Center. / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
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Happy Tuesday, Por Vida fans! Welcome to your afternoon Spurs Starter.

San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama is undeniably marketable, especially for a corporation like Nike — a brand that has long benefitted from athletes and sports icons. First, he was deemed "The Alien" by LeBron James, which later turned into his official sobriquet and later, his logo.

Then, his signature shoe debuted. A green and black model of Nike's G.T. Hustle 2s, which went out of stock almost as quickly as they hit the market.

READ MORE: How Victor Wembanyama Became the Hero of San Antonio's 'Superpower'

Safe to say, NBA fans are eager to embrace the wunderkind.

Wembanyama's most recent ad campaign with Nike, however, was slightly different. Amid the Spurs star's campaign with Les Bleus — France's national team — a clip of him blocking a shot off of his opponent's head was used with a simple slogan that has since made its way onto clips of LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo and even Kylian Mbappé.

"Winning isn't for everyone."

While the message didn't quite hit home for some of Nike's audience, it was made clear. The idea of "winning" is something that takes effort, hard work and discipline — all things that Wembanyama puts into his daily routine when it comes to basketball.

Sure, it might have been a little aggressive, but that's Nike. That's basketball.

That's Victor Wembanyama.

Now, onto the headlines:

THE NEWS

1. READ: HARRISON BARNES ALREADY EMBRACING SPURS' 'WARM' WELCOME

Harrison Barnes is expected to be a big mentor for his younger teammates on the San Antonio Spurs next season, and since arriving, he's made it clear that he's up for that challenge. Perhaps the "first-class" welcome has helped.

Read the full story at the link above.

Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes (40) smiles before the game against the Miami Heat at Golden 1 Center.
Feb 26, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes (40) smiles before the game against the Miami Heat at Golden 1 Center. / Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

2. READ: ZACH COLLINS' FRUSTRATING SEASON MAKES NEXT YEAR IMPERATIVE

Zach Collins struggled to play the way he was expected to alongside Victor Wembanyama last season, leaving his immediate future unclear — yet currently guaranteed. That makes next year especially important.

Read the full story at the link above.

3. READ: KELDON JOHNSON TO UTAH FOR FINNISH STAR LAURI MARKKANEN?

An NBA Insider has the San Antonio Spurs sending Keldon Johnson and multiple first-round picks for the Utah Jazz's now-coveted Finnish star Lauri Markkanen.

Read the full story above.

THE DRAFT

Now that the 2024 NBA Draft is over, you can check out the newest Spurs and what they might bring to the team next season and down the road. Below are the some stories about the rookies selected:

Round 1, Pick No. 4: Stephon Castle

Round 2, Pick No. 36: Juan Núñez

Round 2, Pick No. 48: Harrison Ingram

THE SCHEDULE

There are 93 days until opening night of the 2024-25 season, but the San Antonio Spurs have more to look forward to prior to that. The regular season schedule has yet to be released, but the entire preseason schedule — also still a ways away — has. There, the team will get its first chance to hit the floor with a complete roster.

Below is a list of dates and start times (all in CST) for those games:

San Antonio Spurs Preseason

Oct. 7: Home vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (Tipoff at 7 p.m.)
Oct. 9: Home vs. Orlando Magic (Tipoff at 7 p.m.)
Oct. 12: Home vs. Utah Jazz (Tipoff at 7 p.m.)

Oct. 15: Away at Miami Heat (Tipoff at 6:30 p.m.)
Oct. 17: Away at Houston Rockets (Tipoff at 7 p.m.)

AROUND THE NBA

Catch up on some of the league-wide headlines below:

Also, be sure to follow along with Spurs On SI's NBA tracker, with more detailed breakdowns of major league news and updates.

THE CLOSER

Check out our homepage for more news and follow us on the platforms below. Thank you for tuning in and enjoy the rest of your Tuesday.

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Matt Guzman
MATT GUZMAN

Matt Guzman is a sports journalist and storyteller from Austin, Texas. He serves as a credentialed reporter and site manager for San Antonio Spurs On SI and a staff writer for multiple collegiate sites in the same network. In the world of professional sports, he is a firm believer that athletes are people, too, and intends to tell stories of players and teams’ true, behind-the-scenes character that otherwise would not be seen through strong narrative writing, hooking ledes and passionate words.

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