San Antonio Spurs forward Julian Champagnie believes the 2025-26 season will be remembered as one that shattered expectations, even if it ended one step short of a championship.
Speaking during the Spurs’ end-of-season media availability on June 15, Champagnie repeatedly returned to the idea that few outside the organization expected San Antonio to reach the NBA Finals. The Spurs finished the regular season with a 62-20 record, earned the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, and advanced to the Finals before falling to the New York Knicks in five games.
“What are you going to remember about this team and this squad?” Champagnie was asked.
“That we did the unthinkable, honestly,” he said. “I don’t think anybody paid this team to be in the championship. Come September, when the games started, I think everybody was kind of like, ‘Oh, maybe play-in, maybe playoffs.’ So I think we exceeded expectations.”
Champagnie made a distinction between outside expectations and the goals inside the Spurs’ locker room.
“Obviously, we didn’t exceed our expectations,” he said. “We wanted a championship. That’s kind of what we wanted. But it was a special group, a special group.”
The Spurs’ postseason run was built around one of the league’s youngest cores. Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper and Champagnie all played major roles as San Antonio defeated Portland, Minnesota and Oklahoma City before reaching the Finals. Wembanyama averaged 23.8 points, 10.9 rebounds and 3.5 blocks during the playoffs, while Castle contributed 18.2 points and 6.1 assists per game.
Asked about head coach Mitch Johnson’s message after the Finals defeat, Champagnie said the focus was on perspective.
“Keep our heads up,” Champagnie recalled. “He’s proud of us. He wouldn’t have wanted it no other way. Wouldn’t have wanted to coach 18 other guys.”
Champagnie also pointed to the youth of the roster as a major reason the Spurs’ playoff run surprised many observers.
“What would you say made this team so special in this season?” he was asked.
“I mean, we’re the youngest team to do it,” Champagnie said. “No experience, that’s what everybody says. Never played in the playoffs, never played in a championship. No real vets or X, Y and Z, whatever people want to say. But we still got there.”
Despite lacking deep playoff experience, the Spurs won three postseason series and pushed through a seven-game Western Conference Finals against the 64-win Oklahoma City Thunder.
“We found a way,” Champagnie said. “If there was a will, there was a way for us, and we figured it out.”
The Finals ultimately belonged to New York, which won Games 1, 2, 4 and 5 behind a veteran group led by Jalen Brunson. Champagnie acknowledged the challenge of facing a battle-tested opponent on the league’s biggest stage.
“That was a good team,” he said. “I mean, we lost. It was super tough.”
Champagnie specifically praised the Knicks’ star power and supporting cast.
“It’s clear to them they’ve got a great superstar, again, at Brunson. Gets the job done, OG Anunoby, guys will get it done. So, you know, credit to them.”
