How College Journeys Helped Shape Spurs Rookies Ja'Kobi Gillespie, Maliq Brown

SAN FRANCISCO — After more than a decade of playing basketball with intent of reaching the NBA, Ja'Kobi Gillespie is about to experience a well-timed first.

Sporting No. 17 for the San Antonio Spurs' Summer League squad, Gillespie's official height is 6-foot-1. He weighs180 pounds. For once, he's not the smallest on the floor.

"My favorite player (growing up) was always Kobe Bryant or Chris Paul," Gillespie said during his introductory press conference in San Antonio. "As a small guard, you've just got to be a dog, in a sense. You can't let people pick on you."

Gillespie will still channel canine energy on the court as the Summer Spurs' second-smallest player, but Tennessee's Zakai Zeigler — standing 5-foot-9, weighing 170 pounds — has the rookie beat. The pair of ex-Volunteers plan to prove the "undersized" narrative wrong.

"Growing up like that prepared me to play at the highest level," Gillespie said.

June 25, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie (17) poses for a photo with general manager Brian Wright during his introductory rookie press conference at Victory Capital Performance Center. | Matt Guzman-San Antonio Spurs On SI

Gillespie, who began his collegiate basketball journey at Belmont before transferring to Maryland and later Tennessee, is no stranger to being overlooked. Even beyond his size, spending four years playing college basketball at three different schools added another stereotype to his scouting report: he's not good enough for the NBA.

In that sense, he made a friend on draft night in 22-year-old forward Maliq Brown.

Brown, who joined Gillespie as the Spurs' other second-round draft pick, also spent four seasons in college — two playing for Syracuse and two playing for Duke.

Learning under both Jim Boeheim and Jon Scheyer gave the forward a chance to experience several basketball perspectives as he became a tenacious defender and athletic wing.

"Defense is always where I hang my hat," Brown said. "Paying attention to the Spurs' culture and the way they play ... they're a very gritty team. I definitely can fit in with that."

Ready to adapt to a new system in San Antonio, Brown sees his prior stops as boons.

"I got a lot of experience from two phenomenal coaches and staffs," the rookie explained. "Obviously, my last two years with Coach Scheyer and the Duke staff (came with) a lot of very important games and situations that I was put in. Luckily, I was around them."

Feb 5, 2025; Syracuse, New York, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Maliq Brown (6) controls the ball during the first half at the JMA Wireless Dome. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

In his last season with Duke, Brown logged 4.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game across 38 appearances. Gillespie, who became the pinnacle of Tennessee's offense in place of Zeigler, averaged 18.4 points and 5.4 rebounds on 41 percent shooting.

Gillespie doubled down on Brown's sentiment. Experiencing three different collegiate systems, he feels, has prepared him to make a smoother transition to the NBA.

"Going to a lot of different places, you're meeting a lot of new people," Gillespie said. "Learning a lot of new things. You have to really lock in and be mature about everything."

Corliss Williamson, named this year's coach of the Summer Spurs, cited that same maturity while expressing his excitement to work with both players this season.

"The way these guys have learned everything that we're trying to implement," Williamson began, "the way they compete ... their game knowledge has been really great. We're definitely happy with the guys that we have. Looking forward to seeing them in real-life action."

Before either player can leave their mark on Big Team, however, they'll need to continue to develop under Williamson's watchful eye first. And later, Mitch Johnson.

Both 22-year-olds are welcoming that challenge with open arms.

"The last couple years of watching the Spurs," Brown said during his introductory press conference, "just watching them win ... it's definitely a good feeling. Some chills in my body ... just (thinking about) doing whatever I can to help the team in as many ways as possible."

The Summer Spurs will play three games at the California Classic in San Francisco before heading to Las Vegas for NBA Summer League 2026. Spearheading that push will be first-round rookie Tarris Reed Jr. and, for one game, standout Spurs forward Carter Bryant.

But backed by years of experience, Brown and Gillespie will follow close behind.

"I think as you have more years and more maturity," Williamson said, "you kind of know what this game is about at this level. There's a lot of room for growth for the younger guys, but they are quick learners ... their hunger for knowledge is great."

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