Victor Wembanyama's highly anticipated Las Vegas Summer League debut is upon us, but you might be unfamiliar with some of the other names on the Spurs roster.
One player you'll want to get to know is sharpshooting forward Julian Champagnie, who tore up the California Classic Summer League earlier this week when Wembanyama was out of the lineup.
Champagnie finished second among all players that played multiple games at the California Classic with 29.0 points per game. He shot a blistering 45.5 percent from 3 and will be the perfect complementary piece to Wembanyama, ready to catch and shoot whenever the defense collapses on the No. 1 overall pick.
MORE: Victor Wembanyama is built for the hype around his Summer League debut
Who is Champagnie and where did he come from? The Sporting News has you covered with his NBA journey below.
Who is Julian Champagnie?
Champagnie, 22, is a 6-8 forward from New York. His twin brother, Justin, is also in the NBA as a member of the Celtics.
Julian played his college basketball at St. John's, while Justin played his college basketball at Pittsburgh.
Julian made an impact at the college level from Day 1, earning a spot on the Big East All-Freshman Team. He took a major leap as a sophomore, averaging 19.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.0 blocks per game en route to earning Big East Most Improved Player of the Year.
As a junior, he maintained those averages with 19.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.1 blocks per game, earning back-to-back All-Big East First Team honors.
Despite his production at the NCAA level, Champagnie went undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Julian Champagnie's NBA journey
After going undrafted, Champagnie signed a Two-Way contract with the 76ers.
He averaged 14.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists with the Delaware Blue Coats but was ultimately waived after the trade deadline this past season, only logging two games with the NBA club.
The Spurs claimed Champagnie off of waivers — a sign that they believed in his future as an NBA player (as opposed to trying to sign him once he cleared waivers).
He played 15 games for San Antonio down the homestretch of the season, where he began to display his developing 3-point shot. Champagnie converted 40.7 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc, knocking down five 3s in back-to-back games at the end of the year.
Julian Champagnie Summer League stats
Champagnie came on strong during the California Classic Summer League, averaging 29.0 points per game on 45.5 percent shooting from 3.
He erupted for 30 points with five 3s in his debut, then followed that performance with 28 points and another five 3s in his second game.
Julian Champagne is averaging 29 points with 5 3pm in his two games with the spurs in summer league 😳 pic.twitter.com/nB5n3NfYsd
— Swish Cultures (@swishcultures_) July 6, 2023
Julian Champagnie contract details
The Spurs clearly liked what they saw from Champagnie at the end of the season, signing the 22-year-old to a four-year, $12 million contract at the start of free agency.
Take a look at his contract breakdown via Spotrac.
| Year | Salary |
| 2023-24 | $2.8 million |
| 2024-25 | $2.9 million |
| 2025-26 | $3.1 million |
| 2026-27 | $3.2 million (TO) |
| 2027 | UFA |
TO = Team Option
