May 31, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cJulian\u2019s amazing. He deserves everything that he gets,\u201d Victor Wembanyama said. \u201cAnd he\u2019s the type of guy that makes you want to die for him on the court, because he gives so much effort, and he\u2019s got such an amazing story.\u201d<\/p>\n
Champagnie\u2019s journey<\/p>\n
That story sounds like a fairy tale now, but Champagnie\u2019s journey to get here was anything but.<\/p>\n
Three years ago, Champagnie wondered if he was even going to get another chance in the NBA. <\/p>\n
On Feb. 14, 2023, the Philadelphia 76ers waived Champagnie from his two-way NBA contract. Why? The 76ers never told him. However, his exit created a two-way contract spot for Mac McClung, who not-so-coincidentally was about to represent the 76ers in the All-Star Saturday Night Dunk Contest.<\/p>\n
\u201cBack then, being what, like 22 I think I was [21, actually], I thought it was over. I ain\u2019t gonna lie to you,\u201d Champagnie said. \u201cI was always told how small the window is to kind of push and get your foot in the league and stay there and make a career for yourself. So getting opportunity only in the G League, and then getting waived with no warning, no nothing, explanation or anything. It was tough. It was tough for a 22-year-old kid who was just thinking I was gonna chase my dreams and telling myself, \u2018You could do this.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, I had no clue where I was gonna end up. My agent told me, like, it could be anywhere. Obviously ended up being in San Antonio. I put my head down and said, \u2018Make it work.\u2019 Like whatever they give you, make it work, whatever they need you to do, make it work. And just find, find that spot.\u201d<\/p>\n
Finding that spot meant becoming a much better defender.<\/p>\n
When Champagnie got to San Antonio, it was Hall of Famer Gregg Popovich himself who sat him down and told him in language we cannot repeat here that his defense needed to get better if he wanted to play.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn short, and TV-friendly [language], he told me that I have a niche, which is being able to shoot, but it\u2019s gonna be useless if I can\u2019t play defense,\u201d Champagnie told NBC Sports back before the playoffs started. \u201cSo that was kind of the message, he pushed to me and told me to play harder, put more effort into that end of the floor. Be more physical and be more nasty. That was the word he used, nasty.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was no instant success \u2014 Champagnie wasn\u2019t sure this stop would work out any better than the last one.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbsolutely not,\u201d Champagnie laughed. \u201cMan, when I first got here, I had no clue. I was going through a bunch of workouts, and I\u2019m like, \u2018Man, I don\u2019t know if I\u2019m gonna be able to do this.\u2019 Like, this is a whole different step from college\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cI took it personal. I said, \u2018All right, well, if I want to play, I got a guard.\u2019 That\u2019s what Pop told me. So that\u2019s kind of how I took it, but I didn\u2019t think that it would pay off, honestly. Truly, at first, I was like, I don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Champagnie got better and better on the defensive end, to the point where he is now a plus NBA defender. He found his niche.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like the best thing about me, I try to just fit in where I can, and I think that\u2019s what I did when I got here, and it\u2019s been treating me good so far,\u201d Champagnie said from the podium after Game 7. \u201cI can\u2019t complain about it, you know. I love my teammates, love the coaching staff, love everybody at the organization. It\u2019s a great place to be \u2014 there\u2019s no better place that I could be, honestly and truly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Going home<\/p>\n
He may love San Antonio, but Champagnie is excited to go home and play in a building he reveres, in front of the family he loves.<\/p>\n
\u201cI get to play in front of a lot of my family,\u201d Champagnie said. \u201cMy family hasn\u2019t come to no games yet, I\u2019ve been keeping it strictly basketball right now. And when the Knicks made the championship, I tell them, \u2018Well, if we get this done, you guys can come to everything if you want to.\u2019…<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s up the block. I passed by there so many times, I played in there so many times, so being able to go back there and compete for a championship, there\u2019s just no better feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n
Well, the one better feeling might be winning that championship \u2014 and he\u2019s now a starter and a critical part of a team that could do just that.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s a real-life fairy tale.<\/p>\n