Vladislav Goldin (50) of the Miami Heat and Tarris Reed Jr. (10) of the San Antonio Spurs battle for a rebound during the second half in the California Classic, an NBA Summer League game, at Chase Center on July 03, 2026 in San Francisco, California.
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SAN FRANCISCO — Thirty years later, Spurs assistant coach Corliss Williamson doesn’t recall the specifics of his NBA Summer League debut.
All he really remembers is that he was an absolute chucker.
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“I was going to shoot the ball every time,” Williamson said with a laugh.
Back then, Williamson’s situation was different than those facing the collection of Spurs rookies he is leading this week at the California Classic in San Francisco.
Due to the first-ever NBA lockout in 1995, there was no Summer League for Williamson to participate in as a rookie.
By the time he was able to take the summer stage with the Sacramento Kings in 1996, Williamson had already played in 53 NBA games the season before.
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There was no such advantage for the trio of 2026 draft picks who made their summer league debuts in the Spurs’ white-knuckle 88-87 loss to Miami at the Chase Center on Friday.
Tarris Reed Jr. of the San Antonio Spurs looks to shoot inside against Vladislav Goldin of the Miami Heat during the second half in the California Classic, an NBA Summer League game, at Chase Center on July 03, 2026, in San Francisco, California.
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Ja’Kobi Gillespie of the San Antonio Spurs shoots a three-point shot over Jahmir Young of the Miami Heat during the second half in the California Classic, an NBA Summer League game, at Chase Center on July 03, 2026 in San Francisco, California.
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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.
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Tarris Reed Jr. of the San Antonio Spurs looks to pass the ball against 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.
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Ja’Kobi Gillespie, left, of the San Antonio Spurs defends Jahmir Young of the Miami Heat during the first half in the California Classic, an NBA Summer League game, at Chase Center on July 03, 2026 in San Francisco, California.
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Tarris Reed Jr., Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Maliq Brown all had their moments in their first game in silver and black.
None of them, however, necessarily stole the show. This was not a surprise to their coach.
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“We expect for there to be some rough patches there,” Williamson said.
Reed, the statuesque 6-11 center from Connecticut the Spurs selected 26th overall, airballed a left-wing 3-pointer in his first NBA attempt.
He finished 3-of-10 from the floor for 10 points and — as advertised — led the team with seven rebounds.
READ MORE: Spurs’ four rookies sign deals ahead of NBA Summer League
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Reed’s approach to his first Summer League game had little to do with the numbers in the box score.
“Just get my feet wet, go out there and compete,” Reed said. “Go out there and play hard and live with the results.”
Gillespie, the 6-foot-1 sharpshooter from Tennessee whom the Spurs grabbed with the 42nd pick in the second round, struggled to find his range.
Like Reed, Gillespie scored 10 points but went 3 of 17 from the field. Also as advertised, Gillespie led the Spurs with eight assists while snagging three steals.
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“I’m still confident in my shot,” said Gillespie, who averaged 18.3 points as a college senior. “They didn’t fall like I wanted them to, but I’m still confident.”
Brown, the 6-9 forward the Spurs snagged out of Duke with the No. 44 pick in the second round, had perhaps the most well-rounded debut of the bunch.
Maliq Brown #15 of the San Antonio Spurs shoots a three-point shot against the Miami Heat during the second half in the California Classic, an NBA Summer League game, at Chase Center on July 03, 2026 in San Francisco, California.
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He matched the Spurs’ other two draftees with 10 points, but did it on an efficient 4-of-7 shooting performance. Brown was 2-of-4 from 3-point range, a facet that was not necessarily a part of his game as a collegian.
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On top of that, Brown flashed some of the defensive versatility that attracted the Spurs to him in the first place, toggling between the forward and center positions.
“Defense is always where I would hang my hat,” Brown said. “Paying attention to Spurs culture and know how they play basketball, I definitely can fit in with that.”
The highlight for the Spurs’ rookie class Friday came midway through the fourth quarter, when Gillespie found Brown for an alley-oop dunk that cut the Spurs’ deficit to 76-74.
MORE SPURS: How an arcade machine and a teddy bear foretold future for Tarris Reed Jr.
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All in all, Williamson expected uneven performances from the rookie class, who had not played organized basketball since the NCAA tournament ended in April.
“A lot of it is shaking off rust, and maybe some jitters,” Williamson said. “You finally make it to the NBA, you miss some of these chippy shots you’re capable of making.”
“The one thing we’re happy about is the guys continued to compete and continued to fight,” Williamson added.
For the Spurs group of incoming rookies, the best thing about Friday’s Summer League game is that there are more games to come, beginning with a contest Sunday against Golden State at the Chase Center.
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The way Williamson sees it, the purpose of Summer League for an incoming rookie is more mental than physical.
The goal is to prepare them for the start of their first NBA training camp in the fall.
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Jayden Quaintance might be one of the biggest boom-or-bust prospects in this year’s NBA Draft — and the Spurs were willing to bet on the upside. On the latest episode of our Spurs Insider podcast, we discuss why San Antonio took the gamble on the 18-year-old big man. Watch the full episode on our channel.
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“You want to see if they can grasp the concepts and our principles defensively and offensively,” Williamson said. “That’s what Summer League is for, to get them acclimated to how you’re going to play during the regular season.”
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In that, Williamson believes the Spurs’ new rookies won Friday, even in defeat.
“I’m proud of their attitudes and their personalities,” Williamson said. “They come in willing to accept coaching. They’re willing to adjust and do the things they need to do to be successful at this level. It’s all about being open-minded and ready to learn.”
Three decades later, Williamson’s first Summer League in Long Beach, Calif., is remembered for the moment a 17-year-old Kobe Bryant made his debut for the Los Angeles Lakers.
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Years from now, Williamson is willing to bet nobody is going to remember Ja’Kobi Gillespie missing 14 shots in his Summer League debut.
“You’re going to have your struggles,” Williamson said. “Every rookie does, even the great ones. It’s just a matter of them continuing to pound the rock and things work out.”