Spurs Continue to Honor Uvalde Shooting Victims on Anniversary
On Tuesday, May 24, 2022, an elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas took the lives of 19 children and two adults in a tragedy that became one of the most horrific of its kind nation-wide, impacting not only those involved, but everyone in the country.
Fast forward to Oct. 8, nearly six months later, standing in the middle of a gym at Robb Elementary School, San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson looks at the camera following him and his teammates around as they mingle with young students, their families and Uvalde, Texas residents.
He repeats a simple phrase during the Spurs' open scrimmage — one that quickly became the day's motto — with not a care in the world for anything other than making an impact during his time in the city ... Uvalde Strong.
While Johnson's words may not have seemed like much, it went a long way for the people of the city who, just six months prior, fell victim to the most deadly school shooting the State of Texas had ever seen.
During the team-sanctioned event, both current and former Spurs players went out to spend time with the students and their families, complete with autographs, meet-and-greets and light basketball.
"We just [wanted] to bring joy to the families and all the kids who were friends with those kids that died," Spurs point guard Tre Jones said. "And [we wanted to] help the teachers as well. We want[ed] to bring a moment of happiness into their lives again and try to just bring a smile to their faces.
"Uvalde is our neighbor," Jones added. "We're very close with them, and we're going to do everything we can to stay connected with them and continue to help this community out. We're hurting for them and with them ... we just want to help them out as much as possible."
The repercussions of the Uvalde shooting left a permanent effect on the victims' families, and while the loss of a loved one is non-reversible, there are still ways to ensure the healing of a broken community. The Spurs made sure of that.
Now, one year later, the team took to social media to once again honor the victims, their families and the city.
San Antonio sits just an hour and a half from Uvalde, making its involvement and support for its neighboring city relatively easy, yet impactful, which both the players and coach Gregg Popovich knew.
"I loved the spirit of those kids," Popovich said. "They just wanted to take pictures with the players [and] get autographs ... normal stuff. That visit gave the kids hope that there are people who care. That they’re supported… [it] allowed them to have a little respite from the horror that they had to go through.”
And in the midst of a tall order — bringing joy back to a broken community — the veteran coach thought his players stepped up exactly the way they needed to.
"I was really pleased with the players," he said. "They display[ed] the same maturity as [Duncan], Manu [Ginobili] or David Robinson with the responsibility they knew they had to the community."
As the city of Uvalde and its families continue to heal, they will continue to receive support from across the nation and the NBA, which co-established a "Sport for Healing Fund" with numerous Texas franchises to help city residents recover mentally.
Even more than that, however, everyone in the Spurs organization is all-in on helping their neighboring community down the road.
"The road to healing for our neighbors and family in Uvalde is long," Spurs Chief Impact Officer Kara Allen said. "Our role as a united sports family is to use what we know to get the community what it needs. We can and must center healing together ... our collective future depends on it."
You can follow Matt Guzman on Twitter and Instagram.
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Spurs? Click Here.
Follow Inside the Spurs on Twitter.
Follow Inside the Spurs on Facebook.
Want even more San Antonio Spurs news? Check out the Si.com team page here.
