Spurs Summer League star proves dad right with ‘dream come true’ moment vs. Hawks

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Spurs Summer League star proves dad right with ‘dream come true’ moment vs. Hawks

Hector Ledesma, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Sun, Nov 23, 2025 ·

4 min read

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The post Spurs Summer League star proves dad right with 'dream come true' moment vs. Hawks appeared first on ClutchPoints .

David Jones Garcia has played in just five NBA games. If not for multiple San Antonio Spurs injuries, he probably wouldn't have seen action against the Atlanta Hawks or Memphis Grizzlies . Instead, the victory against the Hawks proved one he won't forget.

After he scored 12 meaningful points, dished out six big assists, and grabbed five rebounds, ClutchPoints asked Jones Garcia if the performance was a 'dream come true.' The soon-to-be 24-year-old rookie answered before the question was finished.

"Yes, most definitely," Jones Garcia said.

A good, but unheralded college basketball player at DePaul, St. John's, and then Memphis, Jones Garcia went undrafted in 2024. A couple of two-way contracts with the Philadelphia 76ers and Utah Jazz followed before he took part in the 2025 Summer League with the Spurs. Easily the team's top player consistently, the Dominican Republic native earned another two-way deal. This time with the Spurs. And this time he's seeing action in the NBA,

"I'm proud of myself. I hope my dad is proud of me as well. And, I was just having fun. Yeah, dream come true for sure," Jones Garcia explained to ClutchPoints.

Jones Garcia's father passed away from heart failure in 2023. He made a promise to his dad that he'd play in the NBA.

David Jones Garcia calms nerves to turn in dream worthy performance

The Spurs beat Memphis two nights before they knocked off Atlanta. Against the Grizzlies, Jones Garcia got his first NBA action since November 2 when he saw mop-up duty in a blowout loss at the Phoenix Suns .

"Coach talked to me, and he just told me to be myself and to bring my energy off the bench. And I looked a little more loose out there," Jones Garcia said following the 135-126 victory vs. the Hawks.

Head Coach Mitch Johnson felt the need to calm down the young guard, considering how anxious he seemed before that Grizzlies contest.

"I was nervous," Jones Garcia admitted.

He then affirmed that an effort like the one he turned in against the Hawks helps his belief.

"Definitely. Builds your confidence a little bit more," Jones Garcia said. "Just help you keep working every day harder and harder to get where you're trying to get."

Surreal moment for Spurs G League standout Jones Garcia

Five days before Jones Garcia's breakout, he had helped lead the Austin Spurs. It's a game several of the San Antonio Spurs said they'd watched.

Asked if it was odd to contribute next to guys who were watching him with the G League affiliate earlier in the week, Jones Garcia responded candidly.

"It is. It is. I mean, that's the other thing, too. This team supports the G League team a lot. They always keep up with the G League team," Jones Garcia noted. "When I got here, they was talking about games from the G League from last year, which it speaks a lot about the connection that the organization and the kind of players they bring to the Spurs.

"Yeah, it is kinda crazy though."

Without Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle for the next several weeks and without Dylan Harper for at least another game, Jones Garcia figures to have earned more playing time. Especially if he continues to make plays like the steal and dunk he delivered with five minutes left when the Hawks' game was still in doubt.

"When I got the steal and the dunk. That was my favorite one," Jones Garcia continued. "When I got both of the steals actually, 'cause Jeremy [ Sochan ] got a dunk when I got the first one, and the second one, I got one."

And perhaps the Spurs got another one – as in another young player who can contribute on an already deep young roster.

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