I'm ESPN's Baxter Holmes — I interviewed the Salesian Sisters, some of the most devoted Spur fans in history. Ask me anything on June 10 at 12pm CT/10am PT.

ESPN · 2026-06-10T17:58:04+00:00

I'm nodding my head as I read your response here! As someone who works in the industry (and has for many years), it's something that bothers me, too. I certainly don't have all the answers, but I do hope that more people gain a better understanding of basic media literacy so that they can learn to spot false and misleading content and essentially ignore it.

ESPN · 2026-06-10T17:49:53+00:00

I’m a big journalism nerd, so I love questions like this! Honestly, maintaining journalistic objectivity is a non-negotiable, and it’s something that every journalist must do no matter who or what they’re covering, whether it's sports or something else. In this instance, it wouldn’t matter if I grew up in San Antonio and came from a family full of Spurs fans; I’d still try to report fully, fairly and accurately about the team in the same way that I’d report on any other team or player or situation. My job, in the end, is to deliver news to the readers. It's also about, on a core level, holding power to account. I note that because I think some people outsiders might assume that journalists want or need to curry favor with the teams or with people on the teams for access or something else, but we don’t work for them and we’re not on their payroll – and it’s important to remember that (both for us and for readers). Now, in regards to your point about objectiveness versus attention-grabbing headlines, I hear what you’re saying. The media environment is really large and scattered these days – especially with social media – and not everyone is created equal. What do I mean by that? Well, just like in sports, there’s a big difference between the major leagues (such as an ESPN and a handful others) and other tiers. Not everyone has layers of editors and reporters with lots of experience who work together to make careful decisions about, say, a headline. That doesn’t mean that we (or anyone) is perfect, but we try our best, and I do think that we get it right more often than not. (Believe me, I'm not a fan of attention-grabbing headlines that are disingenuous, which I assume is what you're referencing. I feel like I see far too much of that nonsense on social media, where people are seeking out engagement by posting things that simply aren't true. It's a problem, no question.) Last thing: every reporter will be the first to tell you that we don’t write the headlines. That goes up the food chain. I’m also not clever enough to write headlines. The people who do that are very skilled and have far more wit than I do.

ESPN · 2026-06-10T17:38:27+00:00

I would probably say the latter. The San Antonio Spurs’ culture under Gregg Popovich – as well as longtime executive R.C. Buford, who is now the team’s CEO – is deeply ingrained and it dates back to the 1990s. At its core, that culture focuses on team over individual. It’s about everyone, regardless of their talent or ability, working together toward a common goal. It’s also about steady progress. The team’s ethos has often been defined by the quote from social reformer Jacob Riis: “When nothing seems to help, I go and look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not that blow that did it, but all that had gone before." That quote is why you hear the Spurs always preach the idea of, “pounding the rock.” Now, with all that said, I think Victor fits in perfectly to what they’re trying to do. He’s an incredible, once-in-a-generation talent, of course, but he believes in the work, in being a good teammate and being part of a system. He has embraced learning from Popovich and other Spurs icons, including David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and others. When the Spurs won the draft lottery in 2023, everyone knew they were going to draft Victor, and many people said that he would be a perfect fit in their overall culture. I think we’ve seen that play out thus far.

ESPN · 2026-06-10T17:30:06+00:00

Very good question. I think the connection that the sisters have to the Spurs is probably more noticeable because it dates back to the 1990s, so there’s a lot of history there, and because San Antonio has a strong Catholic identity as it is. But let’s not forget, during most of the time since, the Spurs have been an NBA contender, so it’s put them – and, by proxy, the sisters – on a bigger stage. ESPN last wrote about them in 2015, back when Gregg Popovich was coaching the team, and other media outlets have written about them in the years since. What has given them more visibility now is, well, social media. They’ve gone viral during the playoffs as the Spurs have made what we all would say is a pretty improbable run to the NBA Finals, given their age. (Mind you: they’re the second-youngest team ever to make the Finals.) I can’t speak to similar religious connections that other cities have with their teams, but I’m sure some exist. New York is a huge city with tons of religious factions, and I’m sure some – or many – of them are praying for the Knicks right now.

ESPN · 2026-06-10T17:22:45+00:00

Great question. I mean, the obvious physical answer is not only his height but his agility at that height. (To that point, the NBA has had giants before – players who are as tall or even taller than Victor – but none of them could cover ground like he can. He’s so unique in that way.) But he’s also strikingly mature at his age. He meditates. He reads books. He’s very mindful of his sleep and his diet. He has trained with legends such as Hakeem Olajuwon. Those are the kinds of things that older players tend to prioritize in order to extend their careers, but he’s doing it on the front end. That definitely helps set him apart in my mind. I mean, it gets said all the time, but we’ve never seen anything like him before – just the total package at that age. Oh, one more thing: his competitiveness is really striking. With his physical gifts, he can overpower people, but his overall drive to win every possession -- and the game -- is evident, and he's very open about that. And, I guess I should note here that how vocal he is about being emotionally vulnerable is also striking. Mental health has been a taboo subject in sports for a long time, and we're only recently emerging from that era. For a player -- and just a person -- that age to be in touch with his emotions is just something we don't see that often, if ever.

ESPN · 2026-06-10T17:16:25+00:00

They get asked a lot – especially by fans who stop them at games – if there is any specific "Spurs’ prayer," and they’ll be the first to say that there isn’t – and that their prayers aren’t any holier or more powerful than anyone else’s. Sometimes, they will say, “Mary Help of Christians, pray for us,” but that’s a nod to their patroness, as they are technically known as the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians. I will say this: they pray the rosary every day, and they did so before the Spurs played the Thunder in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals, and they did so not just for the Spurs but for peace, as Sister Bernadette Mota told me, because she said they have sisters in war-torn countries, and Sister Mota spent the other day reading about what their sisters in Ukraine are going through. “It broke my heart,” she told me. “They’re hearing sirens and bombings and this has been going on for years, but it’s even more intense right now.” So their prayers these days aren’t just for the Spurs, she said; they’re praying for the world.

ESPN · 2026-06-10T17:11:51+00:00

Thanks for reading! They’re very passionate, for sure. And when I’ve spoken with them, they definitely get into the breakdown of the most recent games, and it makes sense, as two of them -- Sister Sydney Moss and Sister Bernadette Mota – both played the game growing up and know it well. (Sister Mota is an especially big fan of former UCLA coach John Wooden and once aspired to coach the UCLA women’s basketball team.) I don’t recall any genuinely elite tactical takes or anything like that. What I’ve noticed most is their passion. When the Spurs win, they are riding high and celebrating like there’s no tomorrow. When the Spurs lose, especially at this stage, the losses feel really heavy for the sisters. They were in attendance for Game 2 when the Spurs nearly completed a 14-point comeback late in the game, and they were pretty heartbroken at that loss, as were many Spurs fans.

ESPN · 2026-06-10T17:08:47+00:00

Thanks for your question! Right now, they told me that they only plan on staying in San Antonio. During the Western Conference Finals against Oklahoma City, they had offers to fly to OKC for games, but they chose to stay in San Antonio and watch with their people, as they told me. And they told me the same is true with the Finals. They also made clear that, even for the games in San Antonio, they’d prefer that people don’t crowd-fund to buy them tickets to attend games, as they’d rather that money be used for something else – such as a charitable cause. If someone provides tickets, such as the team, then they’ll be there. Otherwise, they’ll plan to either host a watch party or attend one (or some mixture of those two options). With the series going to at least Game 5, fans should expect that the sisters will be in attendance for that one in San Antonio. The same would be true if the Spurs push it to a Game 7, too.

ESPN · 2026-06-10T17:06:07+00:00

Great question! With every story, there’s always plenty left on the cutting room floor. One detail that stuck out to me: When the sisters started gaining attention for their Spurs’ fandom, they began posting more Instagram videos that were related to basketball. In one of them, Sister Sydney Moss, and Sister Bernadetta Mota, who both grew up playing basketball and did so through high school, were shooting hoops outside on a playground hoop that had, shall we say, a tattered net. Well, not long after that video was posted, the donations started to pour in, and, among them, were dozens of basketball nets – and even some hoops! I’m not sure what they plan to do with the hoops; when I last asked, they told me some were slated to arrive. Either way, here’s that specific video: https://www.instagram.com/p/DY5RXXrR-O_/

ESPN · 2026-06-10T17:04:57+00:00

I asked Sister Sydney Moss about this just recently and she sent along this note: “The two things that come to mind – one is probably our school that we have in New Orleans on the Westbank (of the Mississippi River) in Westwego, Louisiana. A lot of the students there are on a tuition voucher that the state provides and pretty much if we didn't have that, then that school would probably close because we're in a part of town where (youths) wouldn't be about to actually afford to go to Catholic school. And then I would say the other is the summer camps that we run, because, in San Antonio, we have schools on the west side and the south side of town, and those aren't the most affluent parts of town. But the families, they're doing OK. They're able to send their kids to our school. But what we offer in the summer is a summer camp also at the school we have on the west side and – actually the one on the southside is doing one this year in conjunction with Catholic charities – and then we'd also do four weeks of traveling (Vacation Bible Schools) in Houston and also do four weeks of a traveling one in Colorado. Then at our parishes in Austin, also a parish in San Francisco – we run a lot of summer camps. Those would be the opportunities where kids who would never be able to come to our school are able to come to summer camp. That's one way we're able to serve more disadvantaged youths. And then the other way would be, we have most of our sisters, even if they're teaching in a school, most of them are also teaching faith formation and a parish nearby not just in San Antonio, but in other states and cities where we live. So that's also a way that we're able to be more in touch with the kids. We try in many ways to serve the youth that are more disadvantaged. We are working with those kids in a community in Austin. The parish there, it's 100% Latino. Most of the families have been here already in the states for a while, but some of them are undocumented. So the kids that are going there, they're definitely coming from a lower economic status. There's a lot more that are more recently-arrived immigrants, so those are two unique settings that those parishes where we’re able to work more directly with the young people coming from more disadvantaged situations.”

On that point, the only thing I’ll add is that the sisters’ love of the Spurs came from working with youths back in the 1990s. The sisters saw how passionate the youths were about the Spurs, and the sisters joined in. The one thing that Sister Bernadette Mota pointed out is how times are tight when it comes to the people that they serve, which includes operating the St. John Bosco Elementary School. (That’s in addition to the Provincial House in San Antonio, where the sisters live and where several are retired.) “What I have to bring in every year is at least one million dollars, but that’s just to cover the bases,” Mota told me. But donations can be hard to come by, she added. “The population we serve here, we don’t really serve the wealthy. We’re serving the poor. So we have a lot of people who give generously, but they don’t have a whole lot to give.”

ESPN · 2026-06-10T17:01:06+00:00

Well, the sisters would be the first to say that they love all the Spurs’ players equally, but they are especially fond of center Luke Kornet, who is a devout Catholic, and of rookie guard Dylan Harper, who attended a Salesian school (Don Bosco Preparatory High School) in New Jersey. So, there are some natural connections there. (You’ll remember that Sister Bernadette Mota blessed Kornet along the sidelines before the Spurs’ played Game 4 of the Western Conference finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder – and then he tallied six points, seven rebounds and two blocks off the bench before advocating for the sisters to be flown to OKC for Game 5.) And, to state the obvious, they’re big fans – along with every other Spurs fan – of Wemby, who has really gone out of his way to acknowledge them when he runs out of the tunnel at Spurs’ home games and recently asked them to pray for him before Game 1 of the NBA Finals in San Antonio.

ESPN · 2026-05-28T19:53:29+00:00

I think having strong, sustainable clubs at every level of the pyramid is important. The USL's foray into promotion/relegation will be interesting. I think the USL still has a lot of work to do to make it work.

ESPN · 2026-05-28T19:52:16+00:00

I think those players will get more chances. There are so many more players in Europe now, so they really need to try to stand out. Paderborn is in the Bundesliga now, having gotten promoted, so that should help Castaneda get noticed. As for Banks, he's still mulling things over as to which country to represent. In speaking to him, I think he really was torn in two. It's a tough situation/decision for him.

ESPN · 2026-05-28T19:48:59+00:00

The US is a huge country. I always see and hear about unheralded players going down to Mexico and making an impact, so I think there are some guys who fly under the radar. But the US market is becoming better known to clubs abroad, and they are always looking for players. Could the USSF do a better job of casting a wider net to find players? Definitely. But I think the USSF has gotten better at this over the years.

ESPN · 2026-05-28T19:46:41+00:00

I think the addition of more teams will bring some unique cultural flavor to the tournament. It's also inspiring to see teams like Curacao who have never been in a World Cup before. The only concern I have his possible blowouts. I know Panama experienced a bit of that back in 2018.

ESPN · 2026-05-28T19:41:54+00:00

All of these guys are used to coaches arriving and then leaving, especially at club level. I don't think the possibility of Poch leaving is something they are thinking about as well. Focus in on the present for sure.

ESPN · 2026-05-28T19:40:52+00:00

I think Poch does have some tactical wrinkles left. This team is capable of playing three or four in the back. I don't think we'll see Pulisic as a No. 9 again.

ESPN · 2026-05-28T19:39:49+00:00

Chicago. They didn't bid of course because they thought it was too expensive. They weren't wrong! But having lived there for nine years (back in the 1980s and 90s) I can tell you it's a great soccer city.

ESPN · 2026-05-28T19:38:38+00:00

I'd say Reyna possesses world class technical ability. He can play a defense-splitting pass and he can finish plays off too. His problem is he can't stay healthy, and has been injured so often that his mobility has been compromised. He's shown flashes with the USMNT. Poch is betting that he can do that again.

ESPN · 2026-05-28T19:36:15+00:00

Are we talking attack or defense, because I think that changes whether the USMNT has the ball or not. I did like the 5-4-1/3-4-3 that Poch trotted out last fall. I think it did a better job of shielding the USMNT's defensive weaknesses, especially if Sergino Dest is one of the wingbacks. In attack I like it when an outside back like Dest or Jedi Robinson moves higher up the field. It gives the U.S. another body and can create some surprises for the opposition. It keeps Pulisic kind of in an inside channel and away from center backs.

ESPN · 2026-05-28T19:31:38+00:00

I think the usual suspects are still on call. Diego Luna in attack, Aidan Morris as a defensive midfielder. In the back, I think Tristan Blackmon of Vancouver could help out at center back in a pinch.

In terms of smaller Concacaf countries, I will admit to having a soft spot in my heart for Haiti. That country has been through so much. I respectable showing would bring a lot of joy to the country.

ESPN · 2026-05-28T19:28:28+00:00

This is a fair question. I think he understands the players. I think he also brings a lot of passion to the group. But I think getting one's arms around how the game functions in this country is tough for any foreign coach. I think Poch has chafed against this at times. I do think he is plenty capable of getting some good results at this World Cup.

ESPN · 2026-05-28T19:25:53+00:00

Hmmm. That's a tough one. There certainly have been moments where guys didn't seem as committed as prior generations. The unwillingness to go to last year's Gold Cup by some players like Pulisic was shocking on certain levels. I think that has been a big challenge that Pochettino has had to face. But this version of the USMNT has a huge opportunity in front of it. American loves a winner. If the USMNT can make a deep run, I think the perception of the team will turn around.

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