The story behind the 1999 Spurs championship StarCraft photo

Adhering to the Spurs’ title that calendar year, anyone snapped a photo from the group plane. It continues to be unclear who took the picture, but it clearly demonstrates Robinson, Rose, Corridor of Famer Tim Duncan, and Sean Elliot all enjoying the movie activity “StarCraft” on their laptops. The Larry O’Brien championship trophy sits in the corner of the body.

The image has long gone viral various situations on platforms this kind of as Reddit and Twitter, usually with a write-up expressing surprise at an NBA championship crew celebrating its title by nerding out on a true-time strategy sport as although they were being a substantial university AV club. By contrast, the former year’s champions, the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls, appeared on the include of Athletics Illustrated midseason, enjoying playing cards on the flooring in the aisle of a plane. Playing cards were being also favored by championship teams these as the 1973 New York Knicks, who played on the way house just after winning it all. Other pics from NBA workforce planes usually demonstrate gamers listening to tunes, taking in, examining, and usually calming. This shot of the Spurs characteristics a LAN occasion, a way for players in the ’90s to interconnect desktops and engage in from each other, head-to-head.

“I’m used to enjoyable on the plane, dice game titles, playing cards game titles, so when I received to the Spurs it was like I was in church,” stated Mario Elie, a a few-time NBA champion who signed with the Spurs before the strike-shortened 1999 time and reported he brought “a minimal nastiness” to the team. “Very awesome fellas, shaking fingers with anyone, and I form of experienced to transform that a minimal.”

Rose stated he played video game titles right before signing up for the crew in 1997, mentioning collection this sort of as Madden, Zelda and Diablo. But he mentioned that it was Elliott, whom he referred to as the “Yoda” of the group, who turned him and Duncan — then each rookies — onto “StarCraft” exclusively.

“We observed him participating in it with Dave Robinson, so youthful players, like we do when we see more mature players accomplishing anything, we begun performing it,” Rose, who is now Head of Basketball Functions at the NBA G League, reported about himself and Duncan.

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“StarCraft” is a science fiction, true-time tactic video game created by Blizzard Entertainment. The sport, initially introduced in 1998, has considering the fact that spawned a well-liked sequel and several growth packs and include-ons. The extremely rated title, which centers on 3 distinct races battling in a distant galaxy, attributes a tale marketing campaign as very well as numerous multiplayer modes, these types of as capture the flag, deathmatch and melee, wherever gamers try to destroy each individual other’s bases.

Requested irrespective of whether he felt that the Spurs’ leaders taking part in “StarCraft,” as compared to Bulls stars Jordan and Scottie Pippen playing substantial-stakes playing cards, reflected a distinct workforce culture, Rose stated it could. Continue to, he pointed out: “Whatever Jordan did, it made benefits, six championships.”

That is not to say “StarCraft” didn’t have its advantages. Taking part in with those people 3 teammates (the team was dubbed the “IBM Gang” by the relaxation of the staff) translated into better general performance on the court, according to Rose.

“Any time you spent that considerably time jointly, all with each other, it would make you additional fond of one one more and designed you nearer,” he claimed.

The “StarCraft” periods under no circumstances got as intensive, or as allegedly prosperous, as a Bulls card match. Still, the IBM Gang took movie games significantly, specifically as they started to get far more competitive. Rose said the players would run back again to the staff bus soon after online games to grab their laptops so they could launch proper back into it.

“The video games obtained so fantastic we began actively playing at the hotel. We invested any time not on the courtroom enjoying the recreation,” Rose said.

“[Robinson] was into his desktops,” mentioned Andrew Gaze, yet another Spurs participant. “I didn’t realize it. That wasn’t my go. … But I was form of envious,” he claimed.

Elie also claimed he did not perform, but remembered how frequently the IBM Gang did.

“I just remember all those men taking part in on each highway video game,” Elie explained. “Them 4 men played all the time … It was to launch some rigidity. It was very competitive.”

Elie drew a comparison among that Spurs workforce and the New England Patriots, in phrases of professionalism and leadership. “It was type of a nerdy variety of staff,” he explained. “I look at [Spurs Coach Gregg] Popovich like [Patriots Coach Bill] Belichick, just nicer. And you by no means experienced to stress wherever fellas on that crew were at night.”

Gaze agreed. “That group wasn’t performing items to jeopardize concentration,” he stated.

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Just after the Spurs defeat the Knicks in Match 5 of the NBA Finals in New York, Rose recalled celebrating and partying with his teammates. But on the plane back to San Antonio, with not a great deal else to do, they broke out their laptops and started off participating in.

Just one memory that caught with Rose from all around the moment the photo was taken was an offhand comment from Robinson, whom Rose claimed was one particular of the smartest people today he at any time satisfied.

“David could virtually develop an plane, but we applied to joke about how he’d forget points,” Rose stated. “We’d go away the huddle and he’d ask, ‘What perform are we functioning.’ ”

On the airplane, Rose reported that “out of nowhere” Robinson stated he may be obtaining a bonus for successful the title — but he wasn’t certain.

“He stated that if he did get the bonus, he would purchase us Rolexes. And he did, the quite future 7 days,” Rose said.

Rose was traded to the Knicks in 2005, but mentioned he ongoing taking part in “StarCraft” with his Spurs teammates, although they finally moved to “World of Warcraft” and then “League of Legends,” playing with each other on the internet “for hours and hrs.”

Although Robinson and Duncan led the Spurs on the court docket and finished their careers as two of the most effective significant adult males in the video game, when it arrived to “StarCraft,” they were not even workforce MVPs.

“If I have to be trustworthy, Sean was the best then,” he reported.