Alex Waltman

W&M '20

[Hater Report @HaterReport]

The Spurs have the ball down 98-88

• Refs miss a goaltending call
• Ball goes off Chet’s foot
• They ignore the coach’s challenge request
• SGA gets free throws
• Mitch Johnson is hit with a tech
• Lu Dort and Tony Brothers laughing on the sideline

Us fans deserve better than this smh

[Alex Waltman @AlexWaltman]

Can we investigate these refs?

[Sports on Prime @SportsonPrime]

Dale Jr. remembers his friend Kyle Busch.

[The Players’ Tribune @PlayersTribune]

Keldon Johnson on his role with the @spurs: “I remember a couple years ago, I had a hard conversation with Pop. One morning, we were getting ready to play Dallas, and he pulled me to the side and told me that he thought it would be best for the team if I started coming off the bench. I said, ‘Yeah, of course. Whatever’s best for the team, I’ll do it.’ And I truly meant that, too.

But I’m also just human, man. And I was like 24 years old. If I said that I fully bought into this role from the jump, I’d be lying. I had averaged 22 points in the NBA. I’d won a gold medal with Team USA at the Olympics. So I just didn’t understand. I couldn’t wrap my head around it. And ultimately, I didn’t take it well. I sulked. I let the outside noise affect my play. I didn’t present the best version of myself as I was coming off the bench for the rest of that season. And I knew that I was much better than that.

I’ve been reflecting on that part of my journey a lot lately, with the position we’re in right now.

To backtrack a little bit…. When I was drafted in 2019, that was probably one of the most stressful nights of my life. I’d had a great year at Kentucky, and I thought I was going 9 or 10. In my mind, my floor was 15 to Detroit. The crazy thing is, I didn’t even work out for San Antonio. We talked a little bit on FaceTime, but I honestly didn’t think I’d still be on the board at 19 when the Spurs picked. Definitely not at 29, where I ended up going. I don’t know why I slipped so much, but thank God I did, because I landed at a proven organization with vets who could mold me.

That situation could have gone one of two ways. Thankfully, it went the good way.

Dejounte was young, too, but he knew the ropes better than me, and he made sure that I did everything the right way. I can’t thank him enough to this day for how much he’s helped my career. Same thing with DeMar DeRozan. Those guys really embraced me and took me under their wing as a young guy, and showed me how it was done. I feel like I had such a great group of vets, whether it was LaMarcus Aldridge, Patty Mills, Rudy Gay — all those guys went out their way to make sure I was solid. I feel like they knew how good I could be before I even knew how good I could be. They didn’t let me skip any steps, which was huge for my career early on.

And yeah, fast-forward to summer 2024, and I got to thinking back on my first couple years here in San Antonio, and how I could get that spark back, get back to being me. That’s when I started to see the bigger picture. We had picks. There were all these signs that we were building something that was gonna be special, all these bright green flags.

But there was this one red flag.

Me.

In that moment, I had to take a hard look in the mirror. And man, I just got embarrassed. I hated that feeling — the feeling that I had let my vets down, and especially let my younger teammates down.

This organization believed in me since day one, when Pop and our GM at the time R.C. Buford took a leap of faith on a player who was sliding in the draft and didn’t even have a workout at their facility. They had a plan, and I was a big piece of that plan. I just needed to get out of my own way. Period.

I knew that I could either be the person who tries to fight the change, who makes it about them and their ego, and tries to do everything their way (which never really works). Or, I could trust the process. And the Spurs never gave me a reason not to trust it. So I bought into my role, and I put my best foot forward each and every night. Whatever I had to do to be the best version of myself, I did it. And I feel like this season has been a testament to that.

I’m just really at home here. I think that’s probably obvious, right? The cowboy hat isn’t a gimmick. San Antonio is all me. Being a country boy, that’s just a part of who I am. From Huntington Prep to Oak Hill Academy to Kentucky, I feel like I just carried that country boy vibe with me everywhere I went.” https://t.co/WnVP4cXPll

[Caleb Wilson @CalebWilson2025]

Thank you CHAPEL HILL🩵

[Michael Cunningham @mpcunningham_]

@JordanFalls @NotDanHurley Hi there

[Alex Waltman @AlexWaltman]

@JacobTurnerNC That was a CAA opponent

[NASCAR @NASCAR]

He said 60 was the goal.

Well @dennyhamlin, you can cross this milestone off the list! 🏁

[Dirty Mo Media @DirtyMoMedia]

Could this whole Denny-Ty Gibbs deal have been avoided? 💥

@DaleJr | @Tjmajors

[Alex Waltman @AlexWaltman]

These people have never played a competitive round of golf. The rule is based on where your normal stance is, not the ball, and you can't press down on the ground excessively.

[Kyle Porter @KylePorterNS]

This is where Burns just hit on 15.

[Danny Green @DGreen_14]

Pop,

Where do I begin…I came into this league as a late 2nd round pick with a lot to prove and you welcomed me in and taught me how to be a pro on and off the court. 7+ seasons later, I’m so grateful for all the success, experiences, and memories we shared.

[Rod Bridgers @rod_bridgers]

Good for Cadeau. UNC fans don’t realize they do this to players every few years.

I guess yall forgot how yall did Caleb Love two years ago huh? 🤒

[Taylor Vippolis @tvippolis]

Just an all-time bad day for the haters.

[Mark Packer @MarkPacker]

Any questions?

[Josh Graham @JoshGrahamShow]

UNC fans looking for the smoke on this app at halftime

[Alex Waltman @AlexWaltman]

@ContextFreeCBB @WMTribeMBB

[jedi @jedivsworld]

Spurs kept

-Both 2025 picks
-Vassell, Sochan, Castle
-Gave up 2 average roleplayers (Tre, Collins)
-Two protected first round picks (CHI, Hornets)

FOR DEAARON FOX? BRIAN WRIGHT IS DA BEST GM IN BASKETBALL

[Alex Waltman @AlexWaltman]

Kept Castle, Vassell, Sochan, and the Hawks 2025 first round pick?

[Shams Charania @ShamsCharania]

Full trade:

Spurs: De'Aaron Fox, Jordan McLaughlin

Kings: Zach LaVine, Sidy Cissoko, three first round picks (2025 CHA, 2027 SAS, 2031 MIN), three second round picks (2025 CHI, 2028 DEN, 2028 own back)

Bulls: Zach Collins, Tre Jones, Kevin Huerter, their own 2025 pick via SAS

[Alex Waltman @AlexWaltman]

I keep wishing Davis well but this is not Carolina basketball...

[Aaron Torres @Aaron_Torres]

North Carolina loses to Pitt and is now 13-9, 6-4 in the worst ACC of our lives.

Barring, basically a flawless run from here, multiple wins over Duke or an ACC Tournament title, UNC will miss the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years.

Not great, Hubert Davis