San Antonio Spurs forward Julian Champagnie was hitting 3-pointers with an easy stroke on Wednesday night.
The Spurs took a 55-48 halftime lead over the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center. Champagnie recorded 15 points by halftime, going 5-for-6 from beyond the 3-point arc.
How the NBA World Reacted to Julian Champagnie’s First-Half Outburst
As the NBA world watched Champagnie go off from 3-point land, there were some heartstrings being pulled as well, with Champagnie being a New Yorker himself.
PFSN Deputy NBA Editor Alex Kennedy provided this context on X, writing, “Spurs forward Julian Champagnie is from New York. He said that playing in the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden is ‘the best feeling ever.'”
Spurs forward Julian Champagnie is from New York. He said that playing in the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden is “the best feeling ever.” pic.twitter.com/WcnLVChjUe
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) June 2, 2026
It’s also worth noting that Champagnie was with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2023. However, the 76ers pushed him off the team so that Mac McClung could stay on the 76ers’ roster for the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.
One user with a large following on X posted this: “Oh nah, Julian Champagnie looking like prime Klay Thompson, Knicks might be in trouble.”
Oh nah, Julian Champagnie looking like prime Klay Thompson
Knicks might be in trouble
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) June 4, 2026
The user then went on to add: “Julian Champagnie talking s**t to every Knicks player.”
Hoops Reference’s account on X had this thought while watching Champagnie connect from deep in the first half: “God I love Champagnie’s confidence so much man, dream role player.”
God I love Champagnie’s confidence so much man, dream role player
— Hoops Reference (@HoopsReference) June 4, 2026
An influencer shared their thoughts about the Champagnie-Thompson comparisons, writing, “Julian Champagnie Klay Thompson same s**t both cost my team a finals appearance.”
Jacob Ortiz, who runs Legion Hoops, shared a halftime image from Realapp along with these comments in a post on X: “We gotta put more respect on Julian Champagnie’s name.”
We gotta put more respect on Julian Champagnie’s name.
(via @realapp) pic.twitter.com/moX3woPmH7
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) June 4, 2026
Knicks reporter Stefan Bondy of the New York Post was on the scene at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio and posted, “We got some good ol’ Brooklyn trashtalking between Julian Champagnie and Jose Alvarado. Fun stuff.”
Connor Griffin of Barstool Sports also recalled the time when the 76ers dumped Champagnie so that they could keep McClung on the roster.
“Julian Champagnie has 15 points and 5 threes in the first half of an NBA Finals game. Daryl Morey waived him when he was with the Sixers, so we could sign Mac McClung to compete in the dunk contest.”
However, the night ended in disappointment for the Spurs faithful, as they watched San Antonio drop a 105-95 decision to the Knicks. Champagnie finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Spurs star Victor Wembanyama’s team-high 26-point effort failed to keep San Antonio in the game as New York’s Jalen Brunson exploded with a 30-point performance to clinch Game 1.
