SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio Spurs' Blake Wesley and Julian Champagnie participated in the "Spurs Math Hoops Live" program Thursday afternoon to help the students at Hutchins Elementary School and JT Brackenridge Elementary School continue their mathematics education.
The pair teamed up with the students to exercise their math skills and put on a shooting display, leaving the kids in awe.
It also meant plenty for Wesley to see the kids smile and give back to the local community.
"To be here with the math, the kids. It meant a lot for me and Julian," said Wesley. "Giving back to the community, to give back to the kids and have fun. The kids made the day, so that's all I worried about."
“Spurs Math Hoops Live," presented by Whataburger, encourages students to solve timed math equations, and if they got the right solution, they ran on the Frost Bank Center court with either Wesley or Champagne. They picked a designated shooting spot on the court and hoped the players would make the shot for the score.
In partnership with the non-profit organization Learn Fresh and their NBA Math Hoops program, Spurs Math Hoops is a comprehensive community program featuring a basketball board game, mobile app, and curriculum that teaches students fundamental math skills through the game of basketball.
The students saw Wesley shine from the perimeter, and the Spurs guard was impressed with the student's math skills.
"Math was not my thing in school, but seeing them do it is unbelievable. I'm happy for them," he said.
Last year, two San Antonio students earned the opportunity to participate in the NBA Math Hoops Global championship in New York City. Students competed in the championship at Madison Square Garden and attended the NBA Draft at Barclays Center.
It was a well-earned trip last year, and hopefully, that will happen again for local students this year.
"It's making my day, it's making their day a really big thing to come onto the court like this. To see the players, the Hype Squad, and other people was big for me and big for them," he said.
Wesley says he was impressed with the students' speed at solving math problems during the event, which also featured the Spurs Coyote and Whataburger's mascot, Whataguy, cheering them on and with smiles filling the Frost Bank Center.
It also put a lot of pressure on Wesley to make the outside shots so as not to disappoint the students.
"It was a lot of pressure on me to hit the ball, but I was on a roll. I enjoyed it," he said.
According to the Spurs, students at schools across San Antonio, Austin, Uvalde, and surrounding areas have been following a curriculum version of Spurs Math Hoops since October. In 2023, the program engaged over 63 educators, 42 schools and 4,697 students. Through the curriculum, students have participated in over 37,576 games of Spurs Math Hoops, collectively solving an estimated 3,757,600 math problems.
Taking part in the event touched Wesley, and it reminded him of just how much the Spurs are part of the fiber of San Antonio, and he appreciates the fan's support.
"Thank you all for coming out and supporting us," he said. "We appreciate you for coming out supporting us, having fun, and getting loud."
And in case you were wondering, Wesley says his strongest math subject is multiplication.
"Let's say multiplication," he laughed.