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Sign up for The Recap<\/strong>, a newsletter rundown of the most important news, delivered every Monday and Thursday.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you get here, you see how the Spurs are so community-centered,\u201d said former Spur Sean Elliott<\/a>, the third pick in the 1989 draft. \u201cYou see the relationship between the city and the team. It\u2019s a natural function to give back. It helps when you have a guy like Big Dave [Robinson] setting the example.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018One of the great legacies\u2019<\/p>\n Elliott\u2019s contributions have also extended far beyond San Antonio. He\u2019s served as the spokesperson for the National Kidney Foundation and continues to raise awareness of kidney disease.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cI do campaigns every year with my wife Claudia,\u201d Elliott said. \u201cWe\u2019re ambassadors for healthy living and a healthy lifestyle. And not just for kidney disease but for other diseases and causes.\u201d<\/p>\n The spirit of volunteerism, Elliott believes, originates with parents. The Spurs stir that spirit \u2014 and star players serve as role models.<\/p>\n \u201cMy mom made me volunteer when I was in high school,\u201d he said. \u201cShe made me a candy-striper. She gave me and my brothers a sense of giving back. The same could be said for David\u2019s parents, Manu\u2019s parents and Timmy\u2019s parents.\u201d<\/p>\n Spurs rookie Stephon Castle, the fourth pick in the 2024 draft, served as commissioner of the Spurs Youth Basketball League<\/a> and volunteered at the San Antonio Food Bank<\/a>, along with several teammates.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been one of\u00a0the 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,\u201d said Michael Guerra, Chief Philanthropy Officer for the San Antonio Food Bank. \u201cMany of them have shared their own experiences of growing up in food insecure households.\u201d<\/p>\n The emphasis has long started at the top: former Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has served on the food bank\u2019s advisory board for two decades. Twice a year, Guerra says, Popovich would bring his players to the food bank to serve.<\/p>\n \u201cVolunteerism is a core value,\u201d Guerra said. \u201cThey\u2019ve been at the Haven for Hope kitchen many times. Players\u2019 wives and kids also come. Tim Duncan has done an incredible amount for us, financially. He puts up a big challenge every holiday season.\u201d<\/p>\n 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 \u201c21 nutritious meals.\u201d<\/p>\n New Spurs coach Mitch Johnson<\/a> also serves. He recently visited oncology patients at Methodist Children\u2019s Hospital, helping them craft calming jars and joined a music therapy session.<\/p>\n \u2018A natural process\u2019<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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<\/a>, read to children in schools and launched a foundation to provide students with college scholarships.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s humanitarian aid efforts in the U.S.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m really impressed with Harrison Barnes and his wife,\u201d Elliott said. \u201cThey 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.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cSteph has only been here a year and Victor two years,\u201d Elliott said. \u201cBut you get more ingrained in the community the longer you\u2019re here. It\u2019s a natural process. And their contributions will get bigger and bigger.\u201d<\/p>\n The newest recruit?<\/p>\n A consensus of NBA\u00a0analysts expect the Spurs to select Harper with the second pick\u00a0during the league\u2019s annual draft, which kicks off at 7 p.m. Central on Wednesday.<\/p>\n An ESPN mock draft<\/a> explained: \u201cHarper 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.\u201d<\/p>\n If he joined the Spurs, Harper would fit right in. <\/p>\n Two days before Christmas in 2024, Harper joined his father, mother, brother and sister in distributing Nike coats<\/a> to children and families in Paterson, N.J.<\/p>\n \u201cThat goes right back to his parents,\u201d Elliott said.<\/p>\n Spurs fans, excited about Harper\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Before you go…<\/p>\n We have a small favor to ask. 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Spurs Manu Gin\u00f3bili 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<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Follow-us-on-Instagram.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/HannahWhisenant_spurs-food-bank-greg-popovich-june-14-2017-6.jpg\")
Former San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich speaks at the Food Bank in 2017. Credit: Hannah Whisenant \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Brenda-Bazan-Alamo-Colleges-Philips-College-Harrison-Barnes-donation-8-scaled.jpg\")
Spurs Forward Harrison Barnes gives a speech at an event commemorating his donation of $250,000 to the Alamo Promise program at St. Philip\u2019s College. Credit: Brenda Baz\u00e1n \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n