Jeremy Sochan waves to the crowd during the NBA Rising Stars Invitational Philippine Qualifiers at Smart Araneta Coliseum.–Photo from NBA Philippines
MANILA, Philippines — Jeremy Sochan is determined to make a name for himself as he looks to contribute to the rich history of the San Antonio Spurs.
Although he’s been getting comparisons to former Spur and NBA legend Dennis Rodman with his flashy hair colors, Sochan wants to build his own legacy, hoping to bring back the glory days of the Spurs, who missed the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season.
READ: Jeremy Sochan to attend NBA Rising Stars PH qualifiers
Jeremy Sochan is eager to contribute to San Antonio Spurs’ winning legacy in the NBA. @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/sj9GSUsELD
— Lance Agcaoili (@LanceAgcaoilINQ) May 10, 2025
“It’s truly a blessing and an honor. I’m in the NBA, I want to make a name for myself. I want to be Jeremy Sochan,” the versatile forward told the reporters in the NBA Rising Stars Invitational Philippine Qualifiers on Saturday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“I take a lot of different things from different players in the league.”
Sochan is raring to live up to the Spurs’ rich history with five NBA titles, established by Gregg Popovich, who recently stepped down as head coach after three decades and was promoted to president of basketball operations.
“To me, it’s cool that I am in an organization like the Spurs, who have a rich history, and I just want to add to that,” he said.
“I want to be a winning player. I want to be on the team and help the team win. I think that’s the most important thing.”
READ: NBA: ‘El Jefe’ Gregg Popovich says it’s time for new Spurs coach
The 6-foot-8 forward will be carrying what Popovich taught him which is to have fun and work hard at the same time, and continue to grow with franchise cornerstone Victor Wembanyama.
The 21-year-old Polish-American is motivated to work harder after being dubbed as one of the league’s rising stars. He averaged 11.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists this season where the Spurs finished 13th in the Western Conference with a 34-48 record.
“I feel honored, I feel proud, but I guess it’s motivation to just keep growing, and I hope that step is to come out on top and start winning more games and stuff,” he said.
Sochan, the ninth overall pick in the 2022 Rookie Draft, eyes a playoff run with the Spurs next season.
“We want to make the playoffs, we want to go far. We know we have to work hard, we have to go deep. And we’re really excited to be out there,” he said.