Viral Spurs team photo suggests the driver of last season's success still prevails

Victor Wembanyama is hosting a group of his teammates in France for some quality time and summer workouts this week. The Spurs shared a photo they took in a gym together, and the turnout was impressive.

With eight players pictured, that's more than half of San Antonio's roster if you exclude the two-way players. That's quite a showing, considering the guys have to fly overseas to get there. Wemby invited his teammates to spend a week with him in France, and it's encouraging to see so many of them take him up on that offer.

This isn't the first time the guys have worked out together this summer. It's one of several group outings, suggesting this team is as unified as they've ever been. Selflessness and chemistry were key to the Spurs' run to the NBA Finals, and it looks like nothing has changed.

The Spurs are keeping their eyes on the prize

Some ex-players like Jeff Teague will tell you that teammates don't need to like each other to get the job done, but it certainly helps. The Knicks, Thunder, and Warriors are examples of closely knit squads that won their championships with an added level of trust.

Genuine camaraderie is a cheat code in professional sports, but one that not enough teams lean into. Not to mention, liking each other makes for a positive work environment. Too many are concerned with "doing what they have to do."

Maybe it's because they have a skewed view of how a "professional" is supposed to conduct themselves. It could be due to a foundational resistance to letting others in. Everyone is different.

Whatever the reason is for those other teams, the Spurs know better, and they always have. As usual, it starts at the top, and David Robinson was always a welcoming leader. Dennis Rodman may be the only teammate he never truly got along with, but that wasn't due to a lack of trying.

Chemistry has always been part of the Spurs' blueprint

Robinson and Rodman were just polar opposites, and it's a major reason why the ex-Bad Boy Piston's stint with the Silver and Black was short-lived. The Worm was just a different guy, and his personality didn't mesh well with San Antonio's culture. Other than that, the Spurs have pretty much always had players who got along.

Tim Duncan came across like a sealed-off star who didn't let many people in, and that may have been true to an extent, but his teammates loved him. From Avery Johnson to Stephen Jackson, everyone had nothing but glowing things to say about The Big Fundamental as a person.

The current-day Spurs are following that same trend, led by Victor Wembanyama—the ultimate team player. He never asked anyone to revolve around him. Still, the franchise leader pulls people into the spotlight with him, whether he's sacrificing money or sharing the NBA 2K27 cover.

That's the culture the Spurs rode to the NBA Finals last season. Judging by this latest team photo, it hasn't gone anywhere.

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