Spurs Notes: Sweeney, M. Johnson, Barnes, Game 7
Sean Sweeney has been considered for several head coaching vacancies, so it was no surprise to the Spurs when news broke Friday that their top assistant was finalizing a deal with the Magic, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. Speaking to the media before tonight’s Game 7 at Oklahoma City, San Antonio head coach Mitch Johnson expressed support for Sweeney in his new endeavor.
“Thrilled for Sean. He deserves it,” Johnson said. “He’s had many opportunities of potentially becoming a head coach and so it was a matter of when, not if, even when I reached out to him to speak with him for the first time.”
Johnson hired Sweeney last summer to run the defense, and the team’s improvement on that end of the court has been significant. Sweeney has relied on an aggressive scheme at the perimeter, with Defensive Player of the Year Victor Wembanyama patrolling the middle to erase any mistakes.
“Definitely happy for him,” Devin Vassell said of Sweeney. “The impact that he’s had here has been tremendous. I mean, he’s challenged everybody to be better on the defensive end. He’s holding us to a certain standard. You know, I wish him all the luck.”
There’s more on the Spurs:
- Game 7 will be a new experience for most of San Antonio’s young roster, but Johnson is confident that his team is ready to meet the challenge, relays Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link). The Spurs seized the momentum in the back-and-forth series with a 27-point win on Thursday. “I think we’ve handled it appropriately,” Johnson said of the preparation since then. “Played this team a lot this year and recently, so a lot of attention to detail, but not a whole lot of new for the most part, at least on the surface level.”
- Harrison Barnes is celebrating his 34th birthday today, and the Spurs are hoping it’s a good omen, Orsborn writes in a subscriber-only story. Research by Legion Hoops recently revealed that no NBA player has lost a Game 7 on his birthday since at least 1966. Teammates sang “Happy Birthday” to Barnes after this morning’s shootaround and talked about his importance. “Shout out to HB,” Vassell said. “It’s been great for us so far and just his wisdom and his knowledge being in so many different games, game sevens, championship games, whatever the case may be. He’s been able to just kind of calm us down and just tell us kind of what to expect. It’s unexpected what’s going to happen in this game, but he’s kind of just giving us guidance in what to expect and what to feel during these games.“
- Even though the series has reached a seventh game, it hasn’t featured many memorable moments since the overtime thriller in the opener. Eric Koreen of The Athletic says that’s relatively common in playoff history, but adds that the matchup could still be remembered as legendary if it has an exciting conclusion.
Spurs Notes: Barnes, Wembanyama, Fox, Backcourt
While most of the Spurs‘ key players have never played this deep into the postseason, veteran forward Harrison Barnes has appeared in 85 playoff games and found himself in a situation during Golden State’s 2015 championship run that’s similar to the one San Antonio is currently facing.
The Warriors trailed LeBron James and the Cavaliers 2-1 in the 2015 NBA Finals and came back to win the series, with their young star Stephen Curry leading the way. Can Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs, down 2-1 against the defending champion Thunder, pull off a similar feat in this year’s Western Conference finals?
“It’s a matter of saying, ‘Look, however many games the series goes, are we going to play to our standard when we look back at those games?'” Barnes told Jared Weiss of The Athletic. “The last few games, can we have said that? No. And so going into this next game, what is it going to take for us to do that?”
Here’s more on the Spurs ahead of a critical Game 4:
- Wembanyama averaged just over 29 minutes per game during the regular season and just shy of 33 minutes per game in the first two rounds of the playoffs (not counting the two games he left early due to an injury or suspension). Through the first three games of the third round vs. Oklahoma City, he has played 41.7 MPG and the Spurs have outscored the Thunder by 21 points during his time on the floor. Although San Antonio has been outscored by 38 points when Wemby hasn’t been on the court, further increasing the big man’s playing time isn’t a viable strategy, according to head coach Mitch Johnson. “The idea is there,” Johnson said with a smile, per Raul Dominguez of The Associated Press. “But, yeah, I think as we’ve seen it, him fresh or somewhat fresh is still the best. … We don’t want to sacrifice our style of play and the identity that we’ve been building since October.”
- In an interesting story for ESPN, Baxter Holmes explores how difficult it is to quantify the fear that Wembanyama’s interior presence instills in opponents and how many plays he prevents from ever happening. “Everyone likes pointing out the videos where guys drive into the paint and then just dribble it out,” an Eastern Conference analytics staffer said. “I think it’s even more than that. I think it’s whether they drive in the first place. They’ve got a menu in their head of, ‘This is what I can do in this possession,’ and driving to the rim is just not on the menu.”
- While De’Aaron Fox will be active for Game 4 on Sunday, it’s obvious he’ll be playing through pain, tweets Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. “I’m the same as I was before the series started, but I’m able to play,” said the Spurs guard, who missed the first two games of the Western finals due to a high ankle sprain. “… I don’t feel great, but I’m able to play.”
- While there are questions outside the organization about Fox’s long-term fit in San Antonio due to his maximum-salary contract and the presence of rising stars Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper, neither the Spurs nor Fox’s camp appear concerned about the issue, writes Sam Amick of The Athletic. As Amick points out, this is the same organization that managed Manu Ginobili coming off the bench for a significant portion of his Hall-of-Fame career.
And-Ones: Social Justice Award, Wemby, Leg Injuries, McGrady
Heat big man Bam Adebayo, Spurs forward Harrison Barnes, Celtics wing Jaylen Brown, Pistons forward Tobias Harris, and Cavaliers big man Larry Nance Jr. are the five finalists for the 2026 Social Justice Champion award, the NBA announced in a press release.
“The annual award honors a current NBA player for pursuing social justice and will receive the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar trophy for advancing Abdul-Jabbar’s life mission to engage, empower and drive equality for individuals and groups who have been historically disadvantaged,” the release states.
“The NBA Social Justice Champion will be announced during the Conference Finals of the 2026 NBA Playoffs and receive a $100,000 donation from the NBA for a non-profit organization of his choosing.”
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Spurs star Victor Wembanyama is unlikely to suit up for the French national team for a pair of 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifying games in early July, according to Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops, but the former No. 1 overall pick is expected to be available during the second qualifying window in late August. San Antonio’s deep playoff run — the Spurs are set to face Oklahoma City in the Western Conference finals — is the reason why Wembanyama probably won’t play for Team France in July.
- Kirk Goldsberry of The Ringer takes a data-focused look at the NBA’s significant rise in soft-tissue leg injuries and considers what measures the league could take to mitigate them.
- Hall-of-Famer Tracy McGrady relaunched his Ones Basketball League at Oak Ridge High School in Orlando on Friday, writes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. “I thought it was a great atmosphere,” McGrady said of the rowdy crowd. “Orlando showed a lot of support. I thought the guys played extremely well, played hard. … All in all, I think it was a great showing. And hopefully the crowd that was here got an opportunity to see some good basketball and understand what we’re trying to build.” Beede passes along more details about the one-on-one league, which will conclude on July 1 with a prize of $100,000.
Spurs Notes: Barnes, Fox, Vassell, Johnson
The Spurs hold a 3-1 advantage in their first-round series against the Trail Blazers and can close it out on Tuesday night. Veteran forward Harrison Barnes experienced a championship with Golden State, so he knows what it takes to make a deep playoff run.
Relying on the identity the Spurs have built during the season is a key to postseason success, Barnes told Marc J. Spears of Andscape.
“The biggest thing is continuing to do what we’ve been doing, which is relying on our habits,” Barnes said. “We’ve had 82-plus games to build an identity and the coaching staff led by Mitch [Johnson] has us well-prepared every night. It’s just a matter of sticking to our standard. We’ve had great contributions from all of the guys in different moments, which is something I am very proud of.”
Barnes says the Spurs have all the tools to win a title.
“We have depth and variability on both ends of the floor. We’re able to score in a multitude of ways. We’re able to defend in multiple ways,” Barnes said. “And because we’ve had so many different lineups throughout the season, we’ve been able to win in different ways.”
Here’s more on the Spurs:
- De’Aaron Fox delivered his best outing of the series with 28 points and seven assists in Game 4, when the Spurs pulled away to a 114-93 win. He scored 11 of those points in the fourth quarter. “It might have been his best game as a Spur,” Johnson said, per Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News (subscription required).
- Devin Vassell, who has three seasons remaining on his five-year, $135MM contract, came up big in the third quarter of Game 4. Vassell scored nine of his 11 points during that span, sparking the Spurs’ 73-point second-half explosion. “Just being patient, not forcing anything,” Vassell told Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). “We have a lot of great players and sometimes the ball just doesn’t come your way. So just being ready whenever the ball is swung my way and just being ultra aggressive after I get it.”
- Keldon Johnson earned the league’s Sixth Man of the Year award this season. Johnson believes that commitment to the team supersedes any individual goals, he told ESPN’s Michael C. Wright. “I was averaging 22 points [as a starter], had some individual success,” Johnson said. “I’ve been [an Olympic] gold medalist. But I realized that if you want to be here, sometimes you’ve got to remove your ego. San Antonio is a place I wanted to be. I wouldn’t change it for the world. I get an opportunity to be a part of something special. They saw the bigger picture before I did. But I’m blessed and fortunate to be able to go through it, thrive in it and have fun with it.”
Victor Wembanyama To Travel With Spurs To Portland
Less than 48 hours after being diagnosed with a concussion as the result of a hard fall in Game 2 vs. Portland, Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama appears to be trending in the right direction.
Appearing on Inside The NBA late on Wednesday night (Twitter video link), Shams Charania of ESPN said that Wembanyama’s symptoms hadn’t worsened and that he was able to do some cardio work yesterday. The third-year star was back at the Spurs’ facility on Thursday, and while he isn’t permitted to fully ramp up his activity quite yet, head coach Mitch Johnson said he “looks good.”
“The update is that he is following the league’s protocol and he’s progressing and he’ll travel with the team,” Johnson said (Twitter video link via Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News).
Although Wembanyama is able to travel with the Spurs to Portland, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be able to suit up for Game 3 on Friday or Game 4 on Sunday. Johnson didn’t rule out that possibility, but cautioned it will depend on Wembanyama’s ability to meet certain benchmarks in the return-to-play process and showing that he’s symptom-free.
As the Spurs’ coach noted, there are strict guidelines defined by the NBA for players coming off concussions, so it won’t just be a matter of the team’s medical staff making a decision on the Defensive Player of the Year’s availability. An independent neurologist designated by the league must also sign off on Wembanyama’s return.
“Obviously, we hope he’ll be back at some point, but we’ll allow the protocol to play out, and there’s nothing more important than his health,” Johnson said.
While Wembanyama’s status remains up in the air, Johnson did share some good news on guard Dylan Harper (thumb) and forward Harrison Barnes (shoulder) on Thursday, telling Orsborn and other reporters that both players will be “available and good to go” for Game 3 on Friday (Twitter link).
Celtics’ Derrick White Wins 2025/26 Sportsmanship Award
Celtics guard Derrick White has won the Sportsmanship Award for the 2025/26 season, the league announced today (Twitter link). It marks the second straight year in which a Boston guard has claimed the award, with Jrue Holiday taking it home a year ago prior to being traded to Portland.
The NBA’s Sportsmanship Award has been presented annually since 1995/96 and “honors a player who best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court.”
Each of the league’s 30 teams nominated one of its players for the award, then a panel of league executives narrows that group to six finalists (one from each division) and current players voted for the winner. The trophy for the Sportsmanship Award is named after Joe Dumars, the Hall-of-Fame guard – and current Pelicans head of basketball operations – who won the inaugural award back in ’95/96.
In addition to White, this year’s other finalists were Heat big man Bam Adebayo, Spurs forward Harrison Barnes, Warriors big man Al Horford, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Pacers guard T.J. McConnell.
McConnell finished as the runner-up and actually earned the most first-place votes, receiving 83 to White’s 77. However, the Celtics guard had the significant edge in second-place votes (113) over McConnell (72) and finished with 2,827 total points, comfortably beating out McConnell’s 2,566.
The full voting results can be found here.
While White has never been an NBA All-Star, the 31-year-old has built a strong career résumé that includes an NBA championship in 2024, a pair of All-Defensive second team nods (2023 and 2024), an Olympic gold medal (Paris 2024), and now a Sportsmanship Award.
Spurs Notes: Wembanyama, Harper, Barnes, Fox
Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama was diagnosed with a concussion after taking a scary fall to the court in the second quarter of Tuesday’s Game 2 loss to Portland, but there’s no indication he sustained any additional injuries on top of that. Head coach Mitch Johnson said as much during his post-game media session and a pair of team officials confirmed it, per Mike Finger of the San Antonio Express-News (Bluesky link).
Still, it’s little solace that Wembanyama suffered “just” a concussion, given how tricky they can be to manage. According to Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News (subscription required), the average absence for a concussion is about seven-to-10 days, per the NBA’s injury tracking data, which would mean the Defensive Player of the Year would miss at least Games 3 and 4 — and potentially more than that.
For his part, Wembanyama is hopeful of beating that timeline. Appearing on NBA Today on Wednesday (Twitter video link), ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the third-year star reported to the Spurs’ facility today and is aiming to travel with the team to Portland on Thursday, though that has yet to be determined. According to Charania, the Spurs and Wembanyama are “taking this very much day by day” and his status for Friday’s Game 3 remains up in the air.
As McDonald writes, Wembanyama’s teammates know they have to be prepared to do a better job without him than they did down the stretch on Tuesday, when they blew a 14-point fourth-quarter lead.
“We all got to step up,” swingman Devin Vassell said. “We know what Vic brings to the table and we’ve played without him a couple of games this year. That’s huge void to fill.”
Here’s more on the Spurs:
- Wembanyama wasn’t the only Spur to suffer an injury on Tuesday, but the expectation is that guard Dylan Harper and forward Harrison Barnes will be ready for Game 3, per Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). Harper aggravated the left thumb injury he suffered during the Spurs’ regular season finale, while Barnes sustained a shoulder stinger as the result of a collision with Portland center Donovan Clingan. “Usually it’s ice,” Harper said of the treatment he’ll undergo before Friday’s game. “That’s about it. You can’t really do much with the thumb. Just kind of preserve it. Not really use it as much.”
- If Wembanyama misses time, the Spurs will need more from their highest-paid player, De’Aaron Fox, McDonald writes for the Express-News (subscription required). Fox scored 17 points on Tuesday, but he had nearly as many turnovers (three) as assists (four) and was 6-of-16 from the floor, including 1-of-6 in the fourth quarter. San Antonio was outscored by 14 points during his 34 minutes of action.
- The Spurs held their own defensively after Wembanyama exited Game 2, but their offense fell apart down the stretch, going 0-for-7 with a pair of turnovers in the final 3:37, as Orsborn details (subscription required). Johnson and the Spurs suggested after the game that wasn’t just about missing Wembanyama — Johnson lauded Portland’s defense and suggested his young team learned an important lesson about the level required to win a tight playoff game. “It looked like there was a level of fatigue there that kicked in just in terms of the intensity of the game and some of the output in minutes that guys had to play,” the Spurs’ coach said. “And that’s a playoff game. That’s what it’s going to feel like. And I think there’s a lot to learn.”
NBA Announces Finalists For Sportsmanship, Teammate Of The Year Awards
The NBA announced the 2025/26 finalists for a pair of awards on Tuesday, naming the six players who are eligible to win the Sportsmanship Award for this season, as well as the 12 players who are in the running to be named Teammate of the Year.
The Sportsmanship Award honors the player who “best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court,” per the NBA. Each of the league’s 30 teams nominates one of its players for the award, then a panel of league executives narrows that group to six finalists (one from each division) and current players voted for the winner.
The trophy for the Sportsmanship Award is named after Joe Dumars, the Hall-of-Fame guard who won the inaugural award back in ’95/96. This season’s finalists are as follows (via Twitter):
Bam Adebayo (Heat)- Harrison Barnes (Spurs)
- Al Horford (Warriors)
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)
- T.J. McConnell (Pacers)
- Derrick White (Celtics)
Gilgeous-Alexander is the only one of this year’s finalists for the Sportsmanship Award who was also nominated last season. Whoever earns the honor for 2025/26 will be a first-time winner. Jrue Holiday took home the Joe Dumars Trophy a year ago.
Meanwhile, the NBA also announced its finalists for the Teammate of the Year award for 2025/26. According to the league, the player selected for the honor is “deemed the best teammate based on selfless play, on- and off-court leadership as a mentor and role model to other NBA players, and commitment and dedication to team.”
The voting process is similar to the Sportsmanship Award — a panel of league executives selects 12 finalists (six from each conference) for the award, then current players vote on the winner.
Holiday is a three-time Teammate of the Year, having earned the honor in 2020, 2022, and 2023. He’s the only past recipient who is among this season’s group of finalists.
Those Teammate of the Year finalists are as follows (via Twitter):
- Desmond Bane (Magic)
- Jalen Brunson (Knicks)
- Pat Connaughton (Hornets)
- De’Aaron Fox (Spurs)
- Jeff Green (Rockets)
- Jrue Holiday (Trail Blazers)
- DeAndre Jordan (Pelicans)
- Duncan Robinson (Pistons)
- Marcus Smart (Lakers)
- Jayson Tatum (Celtics)
- Garrett Temple (Raptors)
- Jaylin Williams (Thunder)
Spurs Notes: Wembanyama, Bryant, K. Johnson, Barnes
Victor Wembanyama was a late scratch before the Spurs’ loss to Denver on Thursday due to soreness in his right ankle, Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News states in a subscriber-only story. The star big man was ruled out after participating in warmups while wearing a brace to protect the ankle. He was placed on the injury report after playing 37 minutes Tuesday against Boston.
“It was a close call because there was a chance he could play,” coach Mitch Johnson said. “But, yeah, it was clear it was the right decision in terms of there was nothing we wanted to risk. (That’s) kind of been the north star of every decision we’ve made (regarding his health).”
Johnson added that he doesn’t expect the ankle issue to be a “long-term thing.”
It was the first time Wembanyama has missed a game since January 30, when he sat out against Portland due to a knee injury. Orsborn notes that the 30 consecutive games mark the longest stretch of his NBA career. San Antonio let a 20-point lead slip away on Thursday and surrendered two 40-point quarters without its defensive anchor.
Johnson is hopeful that Wembanyama can return for Saturday afternoon’s contest against Charlotte, saying, “I do, but that doesn’t mean he will. It’s going to be a wait-and-see thing. But, yeah, he was pretty close (to playing) tonight.”
There’s more from San Antonio:
- Johnson has been experimenting with small-ball lineups recently, but he hasn’t decided if they’ll be used in the playoffs, Orsborn adds in a separate story. Forwards Carter Bryant and Keldon Johnson both saw time in the middle on Thursday. “It’s going to be something that’s going to be discussed amongst the staff and we’ll talk through it, I’m sure,” Johnson said. “Different games will have different personalities and different matchups. But I think we have seen some positivity when we’ve gone small at times and tonight was probably the largest sample size in a given game.”
- Harrison Barnes returned from a five-game absence due to a left ankle impingement, raising questions about how he and Bryant will split time for the rest of the season, per Jeff McDonald of The Express-News (subscription required). Barnes scored 20 points off the bench in 27 minutes, while Bryant was limited to nine minutes of action.
- The Spurs and Wembanyama plan to make sure he reaches the 65-game minimum to qualify for postseason awards, according to McDonald. Thursday marked his 15th missed game of the season, meaning he can only sit out three more the rest of the way.
And-Ones: Extensions, Draft Sleepers, Edwards, Partizan
In a subscriber-only story for The Third Apron, Yossi Gozlan takes a look at 11 players around the NBA who are currently eligible for veteran contract extensions.
According to Gozlan, Spurs wing Julian Champagnie has been a complete bargain on his current deal and should be in line for a considerable raise. San Antonio holds a $3MM team option on Champagnie for 2026/27, which the team would have to decline to extend him.
As Gozlan writes, the maximum the 24-year-old could receive on an extension would be $87MM over four years. Gozlan suggests a four-year deal in the $75-76MM range could be a reasonable compromise for both sides.
Gozlan also projects extensions for Spurs forward Harrison Barnes (two years, $24MM) and Jazz center Jusuf Nurkic (exact same structure), among others.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- John Hollinger of The Athletic lists nine of his favorite sleepers ahead of the 2026 draft. Hollinger acknowledges that some of the players on his list, including Santa Clara forward Allen Graves and Stanford guard Ebuka Okorie, may decide to return for another college season in 2026/27. A couple other sleepers Hollinger mentions (Corey Camper and Emanuel Sharp) will be automatically draft-eligible, as they’re both fifth-year seniors.
- Former NBA big man Jesse Edwards, who spent last season on a two-way deal with the Timberwolves, is in advanced talks with Spanish club Baskonia about a rest-of-season contract, reports Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com. The Dutch center played for Melbourne United in Australia in 2025/26, averaging 13.5 PPG, 8.5 RPG and 1.1 BPG in 35 games (22.4 MPG).
- In an extensive interview with Milun Nesovic of Serbian outlet Meridian Sport, Partizan Belgrade president Ostoja Mijailovic discussed a number of current and former NBA players, as Eurohoops and Sportando relay. The Sixers were limited to offering Partizan $875K as part of a buyout for Cameron Payne, yet the EuroLeague club received $1.75MM in that agreement. According to Mijailovic, the remaining $875K came from Payne himself. Mijailovic confirmed Partizan forward Isaac Bonga received NBA interest last month, but the team had the option to decline the $875K buyout it was offered for Bonga and did so because it values him. However, the former second-round pick could be on the move this summer, as Partizan will no longer have the option to turn down a buyout offer for Bonga once ’25/26 ends.
- Mijailovic also expressed regret for the lucrative deals given to Jabari Parker and Shake Milton, and said the team remains fond of Dante Exum, who was waived by Washington last month after being traded by Dallas. Exum hasn’t played at all this season due to a knee injury. “It is certainly our desire to bring back players who left a mark at Partizan and who can help the team on the court,” Mijailovic said, per Eurohoops. “Exum is one of the players we all adored, and we still adore him.”