The Sixers’ Julian Champagnie is accustomed to being doubted — and pledges to prove cynics wrong

SALT LAKE CITY — It’s only fitting that Julian Champagnie was overlooked on draft night. Being discounted on the basketball court has been the story of the 76ers rookie two-way player’s life.

So going undrafted on June 23 was just history repeating itself.

At Brooklyn’s Bishop Loughlin High School, the tag was that Champagnie wasn’t good enough to play high-major college basketball. Now, after being a two-time first-team All-Big East selection at St. John’s, the knock is that the 6-foot-8 forward isn’t an NBA-caliber player.

But Champagnie, who left St. John’s after his junior year, is once again determined to prove his doubters wrong.

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Being repeatedly overlooked and continually doubted doesn’t bother the New York native as much as one would think. It goes back to being overshadowed by his twin brother, Justin Champagnie, a two-way player with the Toronto Raptors.

“Growing up, I feel like with twins, there’s always one that’s above the other one, which is fine,” Julian said. “I kind of accepted that role as a kid. But up until high school, it was more of an adjustment, I just sat back and did my thing. [His brother] still took the credit for it. That’s fine.”

But it’s also the main reason why he backed out of a commitment to the University of Pittsburgh, where he was slated to attend with Justin in a package deal.

Now, Julian Champagnie looks to make a name for himself with the Sixers after signing his two-way contract on Saturday.

He got off to a rough shooting start in the Salt Lake City Summer League.

Champagnie is averaging 2.5 points while making a combined 2-for-16 shots (12.5%) - including going 0-for-8 on three-pointers - through two games.

He was held scoreless while missing his five shots, including two threes, in 10 minutes off the bench in Tuesday’s 103-99 Salt Lake City Summer League loss to the Memphis Grizzlies at the Vivint Arena. Champagnie did have two rebounds and was a minus-2.

He followed that up with 5 points on 2-for-11 shooting, including missing all six of his three-pointers, in Wednesday night’s 86-82 victory over the Utah Jazz. Champagnie also finished with a game-high 10 rebounds a one block while getting the start.

“I think for a lot of rookies, especially ones who come straight out of college, the NBA line can be a little bit of an adjustment,” said the Sixers skills development coach Tyler Lashbrook, who is also serving as head coach of the Salt Lake City summer league squad. “So for him to miss shots like this is not concerning for us. We are still encouraging him to let them go and find them in a bunch of different ways.

“We got no doubt that he’s going to end up making them. But the thing that we were proud of was he was able to stay on the floor despite that because of his defense.”

It definitely is too early to sound the alarm, especially on a guy who has a knack for improving over time.

As a freshman at St. John’s, Champagnie averaged 9.9 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting 31.2% from the college three-point line. The following season, his averages increased to a conference-leading 19.8 points to go with 7.4 rebounds while making 38% of his threes.

The massive leap can be attributed to his worth ethic. Champagnie, who turned 21 on June 29, was known for putting in three-a-day workouts in college.

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So finding his offensive rhythm may not be a concern. Champagnie, however, must show that he can defend NBA perimeter players and carve out a non-shooting niche for himself.

So far, he’s having fun adjusting to the NBA game.

“I have to learn a lot coming from college,” he said. “The way we played in college is different than the way they play here, the pace, the physicality, and stuff like that.

“But I’m super excited. I had [more] fun than I had with basketball these last few days than I did in three years. I’m really enjoying it.”

There’s also a motivating factor.

Champagnie was hoping to be the first St. John’s player drafted since Sir’Dominic Pointer was selected in the second round in 2015 by the Cleveland Cavaliers. His family, especially Justin, also hoped to hear his named called during the draft.

Justin went undrafted in 2021 after leaving Pitt following his sophomore season. He went on to play in 36 Raptors games this past season as a two-way player.

“Not getting drafted definitely pushes me,” Julian Champagnie said. “That’s something that I didn’t enjoy, you know? The chips fell where they fell, but I ended up here where I wanted to be.

“My agent and I spoke about it, and he said, ‘This would be a good place for you.’ So not getting drafted, I ended up here. Obviously it’s a pride hit by not getting drafted, but I’m here where I wanted to be. So I’m fine with that.”

Champagnie, who agreed to his Sixers two-way deal on draft night, is a fan of how the Sixers space the floor and insert players at multiple positions. He’s also excited to be around superstar players Joel Embiid and James Harden, and learn from them.