Julian Champagnie’s brother Justin is no stranger to the spotlight. The Wizards forward has carved out his own NBA legacy after years of fighting through the undrafted label, roster cuts, and G League stints to finally land a guaranteed contract.
When San Antonio Spurs forward Julian Champagnie takes the floor, there is someone on the opposing bench who understands his game more instinctively than any scout or coach ever could, his identical twin brother, Justin Champagnie of the Washington Wizards.
Born on June 29, 2001, in New York City, the two have followed remarkably parallel roads through professional basketball, each overcoming the undrafted label to build legitimate NBA careers.
From Brooklyn Courts to College Hardwood – The Champagnie Twins’ Early Roots
The Champagnie story is rooted firmly in Brooklyn. Julian and Justin grew up in the Kensington neighborhood, raised in a household where athletics ran deep.
Their father, Ranford Champagnie, immigrated from Jamaica to New York, settling in the Bronx before the family established itself in Brooklyn.
Far from an outsider to elite sport, Ranford competed as a soccer player at St. John’s University during the mid-1990s and was part of the program’s 1996 national championship team. He later transitioned into coaching, leading men’s soccer programs at Baruch College and York College.
On their mother’s side, the family’s roots stretch back to Carroll Gardens, another storied Brooklyn neighborhood, meaning the twins were as New York as it gets, through and through.
Both brothers attended Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School in Brooklyn, competing alongside each other before their paths diverged at the collegiate level.
Julian committed to St. John’s University, following a family connection to the school, while Justin headed south to the University of Pittsburgh, a fork in the road that would shape two distinct but equally compelling professional journeys.
Justin Champagnie – Julian Champagnie’s Brother Making His Own Name in the NBA
At Pittsburgh, Justin announced himself immediately. As a freshman, he averaged 12.7 points and 7 rebounds per game, earning both the CBS Sports/USBWA National Freshman of the Week and ACC Freshman of the Week honors after putting up 25 points and 10 rebounds across games against Notre Dame and Georgia Tech.
His sophomore season was even more dominant, 18 points, 11.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game, a performance that earned him a spot on the First Team All-ACC. He declared for the 2021 NBA Draft shortly after.
Projected as a late first-round to early second-round pick, Justin went undrafted. Rather than let that define him, he signed a two-way contract with the Toronto Raptors on August 7, 2021.
In Toronto, he found an unexpected mentor in All-NBA forward Pascal Siakam, who took the young wing under his wing and became something of an older brother figure to him, a relationship Justin has spoken about openly.
After being waived by the Raptors in December 2022, his journey grew more turbulent. He was claimed by the Sioux Falls Skyforce, briefly joined the Boston Celtics in April 2023, was released by the Miami Heat before the 2023–24 season, and returned once more to Sioux Falls.
That perseverance, however, eventually opened a door he would not let close. The Washington Wizards signed him to a 10-day contract in February 2024, followed by a two-way deal, and Justin seized the opportunity fully.
By the end of the 2024–25 season, he had appeared in 62 games for Washington, posting career-best averages of 8.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 1.0 steals per game.
The Wizards took notice, and on March 3, 2025, they formally signed him to a four-year, approximately $10 million standard NBA contract, his first full guaranteed deal, confirmed by ESPN’s Shams Charania and later by NBA.com’s official transaction log.
The Washington Wizards and two-way forward Justin Champagnie are finalizing a new four-year, $10 million deal, agent Daniel Hazan of Hazan Sports told ESPN. Wizards will pay Champagnie $1.8M for final 6 weeks. In his fourth season, the 23-year-old is having career year. pic.twitter.com/zG6n6IA7tU
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 2, 2025
As of April 2026, Justin is listed as questionable with a knee injury heading into Washington’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls, per NBA.com’s injury report.
Meanwhile, Julian has been equally productive in San Antonio. After going undrafted in 2022 and spending time in the Philadelphia 76ers organization, he was claimed off waivers by the Spurs in February 2023.
He went on to appear in all 82 regular-season games during the 2024–25 campaign, averaging 9.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists.
His signature moment came on December 31, 2025, when he erupted for a career-high 36 points, draining 11 three-pointers against the New York Knicks and setting a Spurs franchise record in the process.
The chapter that resonated most, though, had nothing to do with individual records. On February 10, 2025, when San Antonio traveled to face Washington, Julian and Justin shared an NBA floor on opposite sides for the very first time as professionals.
It placed them among a very small group of twins in league history to have faced one another in an NBA game, a milestone that traces back not to any arena, but to a Brooklyn household where two brothers first learned the game side by side.
FAQs
How tall is Justin Champagnie?
Justin Champagnie stands at 6 feet 6 inches (1.98m) and weighs 206 lbs, per his official NBA.com player profile.
What is Justin Champagnie’s net worth?
While his exact net worth is not publicly confirmed, Justin Champagnie signed a four-year, approximately $10 million contract with the Washington Wizards in March 2025, making that his primary known earnings source.
Who are Justin Champagnie’s parents?
Justin’s father, Ranford Champagnie, is a Jamaican-born soccer player turned coach who competed at St. John’s University and won a national championship in 1996. His mother’s family hails from Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn.
What are Justin Champagnie’s stats?
In the 2024–25 NBA season, Justin averaged 8.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 1.0 steals per game across 62 appearances for the Washington Wizards, all career highs.
