The Spurs went to a Miami Beach school to practice and created lasting memories for students

Game day for the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday began as it often does, with a morning shootaround session. But this shootaround was different from the others.

Before taking on the Miami Heat at Kaseya Center on Wednesday night, the Spurs held their shootaround workout at Hebrew Academy in Miami Beach.

While shootarounds are usually closed to the public, this one featured students from the small private school climbing on gates outside the gym to get a look at No. 1 draft pick Victor Wembanyama of the Spurs.

The Spurs noticed the onlookers and the commotion they were creating at the school before inviting members of Hebrew Academy’s boys and girls basketball teams in the gym. The students watched Wembanyama, Hall of Fame coach Gregg Popovich and the Spurs go through the last 20 minutes of their morning shootaround.

“It was cool to have the students in here,” Spurs guard Tre Jones said to the Associated Press. “Obviously, they’re really excited, taking pictures. They were cheering us on. Every made shot, they were cheering. It was really cool to be able to do this. We’re in a unique position to be able to come out and do this, have a shootaround here, it means a lot.”

Popovich even posed for pictures with the group of students and answered their questions.

“It was amazing,” student Jacob Assaraf said to the Associated Press. “To hear from a legend like that … even if you don’t follow basketball like I do, you know Gregg Popovich. A legendary coach, and to hear him speak was just amazing.”

According to the Associated Press, the Spurs held shootaround at Hebrew Academy because they were staying at a hotel nearby. The plan was to have their usual private session to prepare for Wednesday night’s game against the Heat, but it instead became a day that a group of students will remember for a long time.

“I was prepared to not have them here,” Hebrew Academy athletic director Adam Sargent said of having students in the gym while the Spurs worked out. “And then, as things go, Pop shows up and tells somebody to tell somebody to tell somebody who told me that if we wanted to bring our varsity teams in here, go ahead.”