'I mean, it’s San Antonio': Zach Collins knew the path back before he ever saw its end

The Spurs' newly extended big man understood he was in the right place, then worked his ass off to officially belong.

Photo credit: Taylor Hair, SS&E

On Sunday night, Zach Collins couldn’t help but take a seat in front of media with a giant smile on his face, given that a little more than two years ago the 25-year-old big man feared his story may have already been told. Three separate ankle surgeries in a 10-month span between September of 2020 and the end of June, 2021, would be brutal enough for any human to bear; but for a 6’11, 250-pound NBA player, that kind of misfortune can ring in a career death knell. We’ve seen it too many times before.

Collins had just emerged from the back of the team’s practice facility in a gray San Antonio Spurs t-shirt in place of the black tank top in which he’d just been practicing, because cameras had been present when he officially inked his new two-year, $35-million extension, and he had to rep the brand.

“Gotta look good for the photoshoot,” a Spurs staffer said as the man of the hour walked along the baseline of the practice court.

While wanting to look sharp for the closeup is understandable, there may have been something fitting to the idea of Collins showing up in a sweaty jersey with hair sticking to the side of his face, because that’s been his look day in and day out since his arrival in San Antonio.

He has been borderline dismissive of the injury stuff when asked about it over the last couple of seasons — opting to look forward and not back, work his ass off and prove he still belongs in a league that once drafted him 10th overall. But after putting pen to paper, Collins seemingly felt he had a window to open up a little bit.

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