It's been a long journey for former Pitt guard Justin Champaigne, but he's officially reached where he's wanted to be for so long.
Champaigne signed a 4-year, $9,822,607 deal with the Washington Wizards earlier this week, turning an initial 10-day contract into a full-time role with the Wizards going forward.
He spoke to the media, including Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Net, who shared video of the interaction on social media, on Thursday and
“I was super happy, kind of a sense of relief,” Champagnie said. “I’ve been working a long time for this, and just super happy to come here and be in Washington, D.C. and hoop for the Wiz.”
Champaigne went undrafted in the 2021 NBA Draft but wound up with the Toronto Raptors.
He's bounced between the NBA and the G-League over the last few seasons, spending time with the Raptors, the Raptors 905, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Boston Celtics, the Miami Heat and the Capital City Go-Go, but it's
“I think I’ve always had aspirations and dreams of being in the NBA, and I’ve always believed that I could do it, and I think that determining point for me was when I got to Sioux Falls, when I got waived from Toronto," Champaigne said. "I had a really good coach and good team out there and they instilled a couple of things that stuck with me, just the toughness and the grit and always to believe in myself. And once I got to D.C., it was kind of the same thing, like they kind of revamped it and told me, like 'Yo, we believe in what you can do, and we think you’re an NBA player.' So, the confidence just went up and just kept putting the work in.”
In 42 games this season, Champaigne is averaging a career-high 7.7 points on 50/38/71 shooting splits and 4.6 rebounds per game. He's served as a spot starter for the Wizards this season.
In two seasons at Pitt, Champaigne averaged 14.7 points on 47/28/75 shooting splits, adding 8.5 rebounds, one assist, 1.1 steals and one block per game. He starred as a senior, scoring 18 points per game and leading the ACC with 11.1 rebounds per game.
