Popovich's perseverance and Wembanyama's emergence: How the Spurs have rebuilt themselves

Without the glamour or the media impact of other franchises, but with consistency and sporting fundamentals as their flagship. After an impeccable regular season - in which they tied for second place in the Western Conference with a balance of 62 wins and 20 losses - and after a remarkable performance in the Playoffs - where they dethroned the reigning champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder - the San Antonio Spurs are just four wins away from glory. The sixth Larry O'Brien Trophy in their history is just around the corner.

Nestled in the heart of Texas, they have been through a demanding desert journey and a rebuild that has lasted more than a decade. But they are back. The lethargy is coming to an end with the Spurs' return to the NBA Finals, where they will face, quirks of fate, the New York Knicks.

The Five Larry O'Brien Trophies

The 1998-1999 season was the starting point of the most glorious era in the franchise's history. That year, San Antonio dominated from start to finish to conquer its first title, defeating the Knicks in the Finals. The architect of that feat was Gregg Popovich, who knew how to squeeze David Robinson and mold a young Tim Duncan who, with a historic performance, immediately consolidated his place among the league's elite.

The next three championships came in a span of just eight years (2003, 2005 and 2007). With Robinson already retired after the second ring, Popovich recruited Argentine player Manu Ginóbili and French player Tony Parker. Along with Duncan, the trio shaped one of the most legendary and spectacular Big Three of all time.

The last Larry O'Brien Trophy, which came in the 2013-2014 season, marked the end of this brilliant era. Popovich, Duncan, Parker and Ginóbili, along with Kawhi Leonard, returned the Spurs to the throne that once belonged to them. But cycles expire. After the success, the weight of the years took its toll and the pillars of the dynasty began to leave. All except Popovich.

The keys to the Spurs' return to the NBA Finals

From that last championship to this year's Finals, 12 years have passed. In this interval, the Spurs have experienced hard times, including the resounding defeat against the Golden State Warriors in the Conference Finals of the 2016-2017 season or the progressive departure of their stars. It should be noted that, between 2020 and 2025, the team was completely absent from the Playoffs.

The rebuilding began to take shape with the arrival of a young French player who barely knew what it was like to play on U.S. soil. In May 2023, the Spurs picked Victor Wembanyama with the first pick in the NBA Draft. Someone regarded as a unique generational talent in the history of the best league in the world. With his imposing stature and unprecedented skills for a center - capable even of running the game - he quickly absorbed the culture that Popovich built at the turn of the last century.

Popovich - who after suffering a stroke left the bench in 2025 to assume the role of president - understood that the best way to return the franchise to the top was to surround Wemby with young talent (De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Julian Champagnie, Dylan Harper and Devin Vassell, among others) and keeping intact the philosophy he once established in San Antonio. A master formula that today celebrates its reward: the return of the Spurs to the NBA Finals.