Luke Kornet had a perfect (pandering) reason for choosing Spurs' No. 7 jersey
Former No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama is on track to become the player he was billed to be, earning All-Star honors for the first time in 2025 despite being shut down in February due to blood clots. Now, San Antonio is adding a solid role player in center Luke Kornet, who agreed to a four-year, $41 million contract with the Spurs at the start of the free agency period last week.
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The 29-year-old former NBA champion with the Boston Celtics averaged six points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists (the latter two marks being career-highs) while starting 16 games and appearing in 73. Kornet's 18.6 minutes per game with the Celtics in 2024-25 was also the most in his career.
Kornet was formally introduced as a member of the Spurs on Monday, and he didn't take long to attempt to ingratiate himself with the fanbase. Asked why he's choosing to wear No. 7, Kornet gave a perfect (if slightly pandering) answer.
He said he would like to be at least a third as good as Hall of Famer Tim Duncan, who played his entire 19-year career with the Spurs and wore No. 21. Kornet also added that he "loves multiples and factors," according to Nate Ryan of KENS in San Antonio.
Kornet certainly knows how to tug at the heartstrings of Spurs fans, but the former undrafted player in 2017 will also hope to impress them with his play on the court after turning in what was arguably the most productive season of his eight-year career.
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The Spurs are coming off six-straight losing seasons, though their 34-48 finish last season was a 12-game improvement from its 22-60 records in the prior two campaigns. San Antonio hasn't reached the postseason since 2019, but with Kornet joining a young core that includes Wembanyama, last season's Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper, the No. 2 pick in this year's draft, it hopes to change that in 2025-26.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Spurs: Luke Kornet explains perfect reason for wearing No. 7 jersey
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