An unexpected gift at an unexpected time. That’s the key to unlocking someone’s heart. Apparently, it’s also the way to someone’s feet. 

On Monday, San Antonio Spurs shooting guard Devin Vassell made a surprise visit to the boys and girls basketball teams at Karen Wagner High School in San Antonio, Texas. With a full classroom of hyped-up hoopers, Vassell proudly let the students in on a little secret. 

Thanks to a generous assist from Spurs Give, the charitable organization of the San Antonio Spurs, the NBA star came bearing gifts: brand new Nike basketball shoes for each player to tip-off their upcoming high school basketball seasons. 

This is the second time Devin Vassell has stepped into the home of the Thunderbirds to give back to the local community in San Antonio. This past August, Vassell held a free basketball camp at the high school for students from kindergarten all the way up to 12 grade. 

Obtaining some skills and going through drills and techniques from an NBA player and now new basketball shoes?

Hopefully these facets will carry over to the hardwood at Karen Walker this season, where the girls basketball team aims to bounce back after falling to Denton Ryan, 58-47, in the 2024 UIL Class 5A Texas Girls Basketball State Championship game while the boys fell in a heartbreaker to Glenn High School, 61-60, in the first round of last season’s UIL Class 5A Texas Boys Basketball State Championships.

That was then. These new Thunderbirds are what’s now. With the Spurs and Vassell set to start the 2025-2026 NBA season on Wednesday in Dallas, Wagner officially begins their respective seasons when girls basketball faces McCollum on November 4 and boys basketball goes up against Fort Marshall on November 15. Keep an eye out for these two squads from San Antonio. They won’t be hard to find.

The school issued thank you to the Spurs in an Instagram post (see below), which read in part:

“A Massive THANK YOU to the San Antonio Spurs! We’re beyond grateful for your incredible generosity and support of our Wagner High School Thunderbirds!

“Because of you, our Men’s and Women’s Basketball Teams are stepping into the season with confidence, pride, and fresh new kicks!”

Just look for the teams with new black team basketball shoes courtesy of the San Antonio Spurs.