Inside The Spurs

Spurs Starter, Tuesday, October 1, 2024: Spurs Veteran Harrison Barnes Speaks On Dikembe Mutombo

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

Matt Guzman

Sep 10, 2022; Springfield, MA, USA; Dikembe Mutombo at the 2022 Basketball Hall of Fame at Symphony Hall.
Sep 10, 2022; Springfield, MA, USA; Dikembe Mutombo at the 2022 Basketball Hall of Fame at Symphony Hall. / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
In this story:

Happy Tuesday, Por Vida fans, and happy October! Welcome to your morning Spurs Starter.

The San Antonio Spurs held Media Day Monday, giving players a chance to show off their new threads, looks and mindsets. Victor Wembanyama brought his typical stoic self to the podium to address expectations, while Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes spoke to the media for just the second time since arriving in the offseason.

READ MORE: Popovich Looking Forward To Season of Improvement

Most of the discourse was surrounding the team and its expectations, but Barnes was asked about late NBA center Dikembe Mutombo, and the shooting guard offered his insight.

"One of the things that so unique about him was just his infectious personality," Barnes said of the eight-time All-Star, "and his ability to walk into a room and to put a smile on people's faces, whether you knew him or not. ... I always remember myself laughing."

Mutombo, 58, died Monday of brain cancer. On his career, he was an eight-time All-Star and four-time Defensive Player of the Year, playing for the Denver Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks and Houston Rockets over the span of 18 years.

"It's definitely a tremendous loss for our league," Barnes concluded. "My prayers go out to his family."

Now, here are some headlines.

THE NEWS

1. READ: CHRIS PAUL ENTERS SAN ANTONIO AS POLISHED VETERAN, MUTUAL CHOICE

Approaching his 20th season in the NBA, Chris Paul will be a valuable leader for the San Antonio Spurs in their search back to the playoffs.

Read the full story at the link above.

2. LOOK: CHRIS PAUL, VICTOR WEMBANYAMA SHARE COMICAL MOMENT AT MEDIA DAY

San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama and Chris Paul are likely to be a duo to watch next season, and right way, they appeared in good spirits and ready to hit the court together.

Read the full story at the link above.

San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama (1) and Chris Paul (3), shake hands during a photo shoot during the team's Media Day
Sep 30, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama (1) and Chris Paul (3), shake hands during a photo shoot during the team's Media Day at Victory Capital Performance Center. / Matt Guzman-San Antonio Spurs On SI

3. READ: CHRIS PAUL AND GREGG POPOVICH, ONCE RIVALS, NOW SET TO JOIN FORCES

San Antonio Spurs veteran Chris Paul and coach Gregg Popovich have a long history of facing off against each other through the years. Now, they're putting any inklings of their rivalry aside as they team up.

Read the full story at the link above.

4. READ: KELDON JOHNSON IS BACK FOR YEAR 6, AND FEELS LIKE THE OLD MAN

Wearing his new number, San Antonio Spurs veteran Keldon Johnson is ready to start Year 6.

Read the full story at the link above.

MEDIA DAY, TRAINING CAMP

Now that the Media Day is over and the 2024-25 season is set to kick off, you can check out the stories surrounding the team as it gears up for the beginning of the preseason.

The Ultimate Guide to Spurs Training Camp
Everything Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich Said at Media Day
Victor Wembanyama is 'Funnier' as Spurs Prepare for New Season
Chris Paul and Gregg Popovich, Once Rivals, Now Set to Join Forces
Wembanyama Adds 25 Pounds Ahead of His Second NBA Season
Chris Paul Enters San Antonio as Polished Veteran, Mutual Choice
Keldon Johnson Is Back For Year 6, and Feels Like the Old ManWembanyama 'Working on Fundamentals' Ahead of Sophomore Year
Victor Wembanyama, Chris Paul Share Comical Moment During Media Day
Gregg Popovich Looking Forward To Season of Improvement

THE SCHEDULE

There are 23 days until opening night of the 2024-25 NBA season, but the San Antonio Spurs have more to look forward to prior to that. The regular season schedule will be released at 2 p.m. Central, but the entire preseason schedule, the NBA Cup slate and the Christmas Day schedule has.

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

San Antonio Spurs Preseason

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

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

San Antonio Spurs Regular Season Schedule

Oct. 24: Season Opener at Dallas Mavericks
Oct. 26: Home opener vs. Houston Rockets

Nov. 15: Group Play Begins vs. Los Angeles Lakers

Dec. 10: NBA Cup Knockout Rounds Begin
Dec. 25: MSG Christmas at New York Knicks

Dec. 31: New Year's vs. LA Clippers

Jan. 23-25: Paris Games vs. Indiana Pacers

Feb. 3: Rodeo Road Trip Begins at Memphis Grizzlies

Feb. 14-16: All-Star Break

Feb. 20: Spurs Get Moody vs. Phoenix Suns
Feb. 21: Spurs Get Moody vs. Detroit Pistons

March 21: Longest Home Stand Ends vs. Philadelphia 76ers

April 6: Final Road Trip Begins at Portland Trail Blazers
April 13: Final Home Game vs. Toronto Raptors

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.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"For me, a successful season is a season where we get closer to the final goal – even by 1 percent – which is to win a title."

- Victor Wembanyama

THIS DAY IN SPURS HISTORY

October 1, 1993: Obtained Dennis Rodman and Isaiah Morris from Detroit for Sean Elliott and David Wood.

THE CLOSER

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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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