If, as widely expected, the San Antonio Spurs select Rutgers guard Dylan Harper with the second pick of the NBA draft, the team will certainly enhance its legacy of community impact.
Only 19, Harper has already used his basketball platform to volunteer in soup kitchens in New Jersey and New York, tutor students in math and help organize a Christmas coat drive.
Should he become a Spur, Harper will join a long history of draft picks who have made their mark on San Antonio and beyond. Consider three examples:
- David Robinson, the first pick of the 1987 draft, built the IDEA Carver Academy, a National Blue Ribbon charter school.
- Tim Duncan, the first pick of the 1997 draft, launched a foundation to support health awareness, education and youth sports.
- Manu Ginobili, the 57th pick of the 1999 draft, started a foundation in his native Argentina to serve youth and the impoverished.
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“When you get here, you see how the Spurs are so community-centered,” said former Spur Sean Elliott, the third pick in the 1989 draft. “You see the relationship between the city and the team. It’s a natural function to give back. It helps when you have a guy like Big Dave [Robinson] setting the example.”
Spurs Manu Ginóbili speaks to the crowd while Tony Parker and Tim Duncan look on during the Spurs celebration at the Alamodome after their 2014 NBA Finals victory. Credit: Scott Ball / San Antonio Report
‘One of the great legacies’
Elliott’s contributions have also extended far beyond San Antonio. He’s served as the spokesperson for the National Kidney Foundation and continues to raise awareness of kidney disease.
As an ambassador for the Methodist Healthcare System, Elliott shares how he received a life-saving transplant from his brother in 1999 and encourages people to become living donors.
“I do campaigns every year with my wife Claudia,” Elliott said. “We’re ambassadors for healthy living and a healthy lifestyle. And not just for kidney disease but for other diseases and causes.”
The spirit of volunteerism, Elliott believes, originates with parents. The Spurs stir that spirit — and star players serve as role models.
“My mom made me volunteer when I was in high school,” he said. “She made me a candy-striper. She gave me and my brothers a sense of giving back. The same could be said for David’s parents, Manu’s parents and Timmy’s parents.”
Spurs rookie Stephon Castle, the fourth pick in the 2024 draft, served as commissioner of the Spurs Youth Basketball League and volunteered at the San Antonio Food Bank, along with several teammates.
“It’s been one of the great legacies of the Spurs as a business to have their leadership, and particularly, their star players, leading in the community and shining a spotlight on things like food insecurity,” said Michael Guerra, Chief Philanthropy Officer for the San Antonio Food Bank. “Many of them have shared their own experiences of growing up in food insecure households.”
The emphasis has long started at the top: former Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has served on the food bank’s advisory board for two decades. Twice a year, Guerra says, Popovich would bring his players to the food bank to serve.
Former San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich speaks at the Food Bank in 2017. Credit: Hannah Whisenant / San Antonio Report
“Volunteerism is a core value,” Guerra said. “They’ve been at the Haven for Hope kitchen many times. Players’ wives and kids also come. Tim Duncan has done an incredible amount for us, financially. He puts up a big challenge every holiday season.”
Duncan triples donations with a two-to-one match every December. For every dollar given, he gives two. According to the food bank, each two-to-one match provides “21 nutritious meals.”
New Spurs coach Mitch Johnson also serves. He recently visited oncology patients at Methodist Children’s Hospital, helping them craft calming jars and joined a music therapy session.
‘A natural process’
The legacy of giving back extends to Spurs acquired through trades and free agency. Hall of Famer George Gervin, acquired in a 1974 trade, built the George Gervin Academy, a charter school that serves 1,100 pre-K-12 students on three campuses.
Former defensive star Bruce Bowen, acquired as a free agent in 2001, started a Get Fit with Bruce and Buddy program. He participated in the Elf Louise Christmas Project, read to children in schools and launched a foundation to provide students with college scholarships.
Harrison Barnes, acquired in a 2024 trade, earned an NBA Cares Community Assist Award last year after he and his wife Brittany donated $250,000 to the AlamoPROMISE tuition-free program, a gift that benefits students at St. Philips College.
In March, the couple started an initiative to provide high-quality basketball courts to underserved communities. Harrison also donated $100,000 to Athletes in Action, a global community that helps athletes grow physically, mentally and spiritually, and $50,000 to UNICEF USA’s humanitarian aid efforts in the U.S.
Spurs Forward Harrison Barnes gives a speech at an event commemorating his donation of $250,000 to the Alamo Promise program at St. Philip’s College. Credit: Brenda Bazán / San Antonio Report
“I’m really impressed with Harrison Barnes and his wife,” Elliott said. “They just got here and immediately took a lot of money out of their own pocket and gave it away. I thought that was pretty remarkable.”
All-Star Victor Wembanyama, the first pick of the 2023 draft, helped fund and dedicate a basketball court in his hometown of Le Chesnay, France. He dressed up as Santa Claus and delivered gifts for the Elf Louise project.
“Steph has only been here a year and Victor two years,” Elliott said. “But you get more ingrained in the community the longer you’re here. It’s a natural process. And their contributions will get bigger and bigger.”
The newest recruit?
A consensus of NBA analysts expect the Spurs to select Harper with the second pick during the league’s annual draft, which kicks off at 7 p.m. Central on Wednesday.
An ESPN mock draft explained: “Harper has visited the Spurs in San Antonio, and hosted the front office privately, appearing to have considerable enthusiasm for joining the storied franchise as it looks to return to championship contention.”
If he joined the Spurs, Harper would fit right in.
Two days before Christmas in 2024, Harper joined his father, mother, brother and sister in distributing Nike coats to children and families in Paterson, N.J.
“That goes right back to his parents,” Elliott said.
Spurs fans, excited about Harper’s size, passing and scoring ability, if not his community-mindedness, will gather at Roca & Martillo at the Rock at La Cantera to watch the draft on a 40-foot LED screen.
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