So now that the Spurs have all this American talent...

[Othyus Lalanne]

I assume the team will be more popular once it gets really good again...

There won't be the too much Foreign Legion excuse to run to.

[offset formation]

I think the foreign player nature of the team is the not so secret ingredient to why the Spurs have a "way." It causes an immediate response from the team in two main areas that other teams don't get:

1. Having so many of these guys here and often needing to learn or perfect, at minimum, their English, it immediately creates bonds because they are forced to really listen to one another and learn from one another. It has the secondary side effect of forcing a complementary game of basketball because of that bonding. All the stuff that Pop does with them off the court where he makes them learn about each other's cultures only serves to underscore that bonding.
2. Foreign players historically played a different game, and having so many (as opposed to one or two like most teams), melds the two styles together.

Of course it also takes high quality drafting from people that know what they are doing and which kind of players best fit into the system Pop teaches.

Either way, in PATFO I trust.

[TrainOfThought5]

If winning championships and having a historically successful dynasty run didn’t make us popular, I promise Lonnie Walker and Dejounte Murray won’t.

[Play Boban]

We have some American players, but I’m not sure we have any American “talent.”

[Othyus Lalanne]

We have some American players, but I’m not sure we have any American “talent.”

Don't worry, RC is working on it.

[GreekSpursfan]

Giannis is not American and his shirt is No3 in sales world wide. Doncic the same and watch his popularity blow up in the next few years. Only talent matters, not ethnicity. Give me a super talented player and he might as well be from Taiwan tbh.
I'm the proof that Spurs were and are popular. A Greek guy being a Spurs fan is not something you see every day and i have bought stuff too. I'm a fan since the 2004-2005 season. I've been reading this forum for years to keep myself informed with the latest news. I think there were a lot of people like me. Spurs are popular, they just need to do a better job marketing wise

[Othyus Lalanne]

Giannis is not American and his shirt is No3 in sales world wide. Doncic the same and watch his popularity blow up in the next few years. Only talent matters, not ethnicity. Give me a super talented player and he might as well be from Taiwan tbh.

Being a hardcore Confucian with meek mannerisms might mean he will not be as popular as a player just as talented with a different personality.

His voice is also important.

[GreekSpursfan]

Being a hardcore Confucian with meek mannerisms might mean he will not be as popular a player just as talented with a different personality.

His voice is also important.

I agree about the personality.

[RC_Drunkford]

the Spurs consistently having international talent on their roster as well as 2 of the Big 3 being from other countries made the franchise popular worldwide (technically all of them were since Duncan is from the Virgin Islands). I think the Spurs generate a lot of income just because of that and it helped their worldwide popularity a lot. Another reason why they should draft Hachimura. That would open up the Japanese market

[Othyus Lalanne]

I agree about the personality.

Confucius does define your personality.

[kuato]

Necesitan argentinos

[Play Boban]

the Spurs consistently having international talent on their roster as well as 2 of the Big 3 being from other countries made the franchise popular worldwide (technically all of them were since Duncan is from the Virgin Islands). I think the Spurs generate a lot of income just because of that and it helped their worldwide popularity a lot. Another reason why they should draft Hachimura. That would open up the Japanese market

Please explain how the US Virgin Islands aren’t in the US tbh.

[Othyus Lalanne]

Please explain how the US Virgin Islands aren’t in the US tbh.

It was not mainstream American culture.

[RC_Drunkford]

Please explain how the US Virgin Islands aren’t in the US tbh.

I didn't look it up, but people always used to say that. When the "foreign player" debate came up they always said Hakeem is foreign cause he's from Nigeria and Duncan is from the Virgin Islands. All I know is Duncan played for Team USA which basically makes him an American player

[Play Boban]

I didn't look it up, but people always used to say that. When the "foreign player" debate came up they always said Hakeem is foreign cause he's from Nigeria and Duncan is from the Virgin Islands. All I know is Duncan played for Team USA which basically makes him an American player

Yeah, I just mean the US Virgin Islands are a US territory, so they are very much American tbh. You’re right that a lot of people considered Timmy “foreign” in a sense since he wasn’t from the mainland US states, though.

[Play Boban]

It was not mainstream American culture.

True tbh

[boutons_deux]

It was not mainstream American culture.

yep, to your racist distaste, 75% of St Croix is black.

[tholdren]

Its entertainment. You have a league that has 20 percent fg shooters STARTING and drafted in the first round.... not a skilled league. Volume shooting league with no consistent rules bent towards getting score as high as possible. Not really skill

[Othyus Lalanne]

yep, to your racist distaste, 75% of St Croix is black.

Also not mainstream American Black Culture.

[R. DeMurre]

Its entertainment. You have a league that has 20 percent fg shooters STARTING and drafted in the first round.... not a skilled league. Volume shooting league with no consistent rules bent towards getting score as high as possible. Not really skill

The worst 2pt% shooter in the league last year was Kevin Knox at about 39%. After that, it's a bunch of guys shooting around 44%. Who are all these 20% shooters you're talking about?

http://www.espn.com/nba/statistics/p.../2/order/false

[tholdren]

Lonzo ball