Following the Spurs’ title that year, someone snapped a photo from the team plane. It remains unclear who took the photo, but it clearly shows Robinson, Rose, Hall of Famer Tim Duncan, and Sean Elliot all playing the video game “StarCraft” on their laptops. The Larry O’Brien championship trophy sits in the corner of the frame.
The photo has gone viral numerous times on platforms like Reddit and Twitter, usually with a post expressing surprise at an NBA championship team celebrating its title by nerding out on a real-time strategy game as though they were a high school AV club. By contrast, the previous year’s champions, the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls, appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated midseason, playing cards on the floor in the aisle of a plane. Cards were also favored by championship teams such as the 1973 New York Knicks, who played on the way home after winning it all. Other photos from NBA team planes generally show players listening to music, eating, reading, and otherwise relaxing. This shot of the Spurs features a LAN party, a way for gamers in the ’90s to interconnect computers and play against each other, head-to-head.
“I’m used to fun on the plane, dice games, cards games, so when I got to the Spurs it was like I was in church,” said Mario Elie, a three-time NBA champion who signed with the Spurs prior to the strike-shortened 1999 season and said he brought “a little nastiness” to the team. “Very nice guys, shaking hands with everyone, and I sort of had to change that a little.”
Rose said he played video games prior to joining the team in 1997, mentioning series like Madden, Zelda and Diablo. But he said that it was Sean Elliott, whom he referred to as the “Yoda” of the group, who turned him and Tim Duncan — then both in their first years — onto “StarCraft” specifically.
“We saw him playing it with Dave Robinson, so younger players, like we do when we see older players doing something, we started doing it,” Rose said about himself and Duncan.
“StarCraft” is a science fiction, real-time strategy game made by Blizzard Entertainment. The game, originally released in 1998, has since spawned a popular sequel and several expansion packs and add-ons. Its competitive esports scene is highlighted by The International, a global championship that routinely features a prize pool in the tens of millions.
The highly rated title, which centers on three distinct races battling in a distant galaxy, features a story campaign as well as several multiplayer modes, such as capture the flag, deathmatch and melee, where players attempt to destroy each other’s bases.
Asked about whether he felt that the team leaders playing “StarCraft,” as compared to Jordan and Pippen playing high-stakes cards, reflected a different team culture, Rose said it could. Still, he pointed out: “Whatever Jordan did, it produced results, six championships.”
That’s not to say “StarCraft” didn’t have its benefits. Playing with those three teammates (the group was dubbed the “IBM Gang” by the rest of the team) translated into better performance on the court, according to Rose.
“Any time you spent that much time together, all together, it makes you more fond of one another and made you closer,” he said.
The “StarCraft” sessions never got as intense, or as allegedly rich, as a Bulls…
Read More: The story behind the 1999 Spurs championship StarCraft photo
