Spurs Media Day: Castle, Harper dish on Tex-Mex, trash talk and more
After reaching the NBA Finals last season, the San Antonio Spurs officially began preparing for 2026-27 on Monday with Media Day.
The Spurs open the regular season Oct. 20 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, but first players and coaches met with reporters to discuss everything from Victor Wembanyama's continued development to the team's championship expectations and life away from basketball.
Here are some of the biggest moments, memorable quotes and lighter highlights from Spurs Media Day.
Castle and Harper land GQ feature
@dy1anharper and @StephonCastle are the NBA's new dynamic duo. Can they get the @spurs to the promised land?
"We understand what goes into [making] it," Harper says. "Now, we got to do it." Castle echoes his backcourt partner's thought: "We finna go back."
Read as the #GQHYPE… pic.twitter.com/g3VnZaV24n
– GQ Magazine (@GQMagazine) September 28, 2026
Before Spurs Media Day even began, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper were already making headlines.
The Spurs' young backcourt is featured in a new GQ Hype profile published Monday, which explores the duo's rapid rise and the expectations surrounding a team coming off an NBA Finals appearance.
In the feature, Castle and Harper discussed their growing chemistry, the pressure of helping lead a championship contender and a few lighter topics.
Harper joked that he wanted to win the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Award this season, prompting Castle to quickly shoot down the idea.
That playful back-and-forth carried over into Media Day.
Asked who the team's biggest trash talker is, Harper didn't hesitate.
"Steph Castle," he said.
The Express-News later asked Castle about Harper's answer.
"I think Dyl is just deflecting," Castle said. "I feel like he definitely holds that title, trash talk."
Castle and Harper's go-to Tex-Mex orders
Not every Spur has fully embraced San Antonio's taco culture.
Asked about his favorite taco spot, Dylan Harper had a confession that may surprise local fans.
"I don't have a favorite taco spot, I have a chef," Harper told the Express-News. "San Antonio is going to hate me. I don't eat tacos. I eat burritos."
Harper said his go-to order is a steak burrito with queso and rice.
Stephon Castle's order is much simpler.
"I would just get a regular taco, steak tacos," he said.
Castle also said he skips tomatoes and sour cream, keeping his tacos about as simple as they come.
What Spurs players rocked to media day
Victor Wembanyama may have offered a preview of an upcoming Nike release during Spurs Media Day.
The Spurs star wore an all-white pair of Nike sneakers featuring his alien logo. While Nike has not identified the shoes, they appeared to resemble a model from the company's G.T. Cut line.
Elsewhere around the locker room, De'Aaron Fox wore the white Under Armour D. Fox 3, the latest version of his signature shoe. Stephon Castle chose the Air Jordan 41 PF "Ruby," while Devin Vassell wore the Nike Book 2 "WNBA 30th Anniversary."
Julian Champagnie sported the Nike Kobe 8 Protro "Mambacurial." Dylan Harper also wore Kobes, choosing a Nike Kobe 6 Protro player-exclusive model originally made for teammate Tobias Harris.
Rookie Carter Bryant rounded out the group in the Jordan Heir Series 2.
Castle, Harper remind Fox he's the "unc" of the group
Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper made sure De'Aaron Fox knew who the veteran was during a three-player photo shoot at Spurs Media Day.
"Get in here, unc," Harper joked as the trio posed together, teasing Fox about being the elder statesman of the group.
Fox quickly fired back.
"If I'm unc at 30, y'all are teenagers," he joked.
Keldon Johnson's indoor voice remains a work in progress
Keldon Johnson made his presence known the moment he arrived at Spurs Media Day.
You could hear him before you saw him, as Johnson walked into the Victory Capital Performance Center wearing a cowboy hat and bringing his trademark energy.
During a photo shoot, Johnson let out a booming yell that echoed throughout the building. The outburst was loud enough to briefly interrupt Stephon Castle's news conference.
Castle paused, realized Johnson was responsible for the commotion and laughed along with reporters in the room.
Wemby reflects on San Antonio's playoff support
Victor Wembanyama said he hasn't forgotten the support Spurs fans showed throughout last season's playoff run to the NBA Finals.
"What we saw in the playoffs in general, and leading up to the Finals, was amazing," Wembanyama said. "People waiting for us at the airport. People showing love and showing support."
Wembanyama said the response strengthened the bond between the Spurs and San Antonio.
"It's amazing," he said. "It's very assuring to know that we have these people. They have our back."
Wemby's definition of success has changed
After reaching the NBA Finals last season, Victor Wembanyama said the Spurs have raised their expectations for what defines a successful season.
"The definition of success changed," Wembanyama said. "We have some goals between us that we're going to keep between us as teammates, but we have some other goals that are obvious."
Wembanyama said returning to the Western Conference championship is no longer the goal.
"We won the West last year. We don't want to do anything less this year, and we want to be the first seed," he said. "We want to keep fighting for this top spot."
Keldon Johnson feels ‘some type of way' about Wemby's new seatmate
Keldon Johnson and Harrison Barnes delivered one of the lighter moments of Spurs Media Day when their conversation turned to Victor Wembanyama.
Asked about Wembanyama's favorite book, Barnes first guessed "something French" before recalling two George Orwell classics.
"He liked 1984 and he liked Animal Farm," Barnes said.
The conversation then shifted to Wembanyama's travel plans.
"They said Vic wants Carter to ride with him on the plane," Johnson told Barnes.
"I'm good with that," Barnes replied.
Johnson wasn't nearly as enthusiastic.
"I feel some type of way," he joked.
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This article originally published at Spurs Media Day: Castle, Harper dish on Tex-Mex, trash talk and more.
