It was close to a year ago at this time that Julian Champagnie draft’s dreams were crushed.
He didn’t hear his name called.
But he told himself it wouldn’t matter in the long run.
“There’s plenty of guys who go from undrafted, two-way, even G-League deals, and get to where they want,” he said then. “At the end of the day, it comes down to the work.”
He’s impressed the Spurs plenty in a short period of time with that work.
After being given a qualifying offer by San Antonio, making him a restricted free agent, the 6-foot-9 Champagnie inked a four-year, $12 million deal Friday night, a source told The Post.
His future will be in San Antonio with the rebuilding Spurs, playing alongside generational prospect and overall No. 1 draft pick Victor Wembanyama.
The high-character Champagnie will play in the coming summer league with San Antonio, but he will do so with a new NBA contract and financial stability after spending last year on a two-way deal.
After getting released by the 76ers in mid-February — Philadelphia had signed him to a two-way contract after last year’s draft — the 22-year-old Champagnie was picked up by the Spurs and flourished late in the year.
He averaged 11 points, four rebounds and shot a shade over 40 percent from 3-point range over 15 games and three starts.
“[Julian] has good ability,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said late in the season. “He’s got great size for his position, and we’ve been impressed with him. [He] has been a really good addition for us.”
Champagnie was an unheralded recruit at Bishop Loughlin, overshadowed by his twin brother, Justin.
He was planning to attend prep school, but when St. John’s made a coaching change, replacing Chris Mullin with Mike Anderson, he opted to stay home.
He developed into one of the top wings in college basketball by his junior year, averaging 19.6 points with 6.6 rebounds and two assists that season.
In his first year as a pro, there were bumps along the way, typical ups and downs most rookies go through.
He put up strong numbers in the G-League and took advantage of an opportunity that was given to him.
Now, Champagnie appears to have found a home with the Spurs.