Pitt's Justin Champagnie Addresses Contract with Wizards

Champagnie signed a 10-day contract in February 2024 and then a two-way contract that March with the Wizards. A Two-Way contract means that players with three years of experience or less receive one salary for playing in both the NBA and the NBA G-League. These contracts can last one or two seasons.

He played eight games for the Capitol City Go-Go, the G-League team for the Wizards, averaging 36.5 minutes, 20.0 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.4 blocks and 1.1 steals per game in eight contests this season. He also shot 48.7% from the field and 75.0% from the foul line.

Champagnie then started his first game for the Wizards this season at home vs. the Denver Nuggets on Dec. 7, leading his team to their first win since Oct. 30, ending a 16-game losing streak.

Champagnie started the next 12 games, which included a fantastic performance in an overtime home loss, 136-132 to the New York Knicks on Dec. 29.

He scored a team/career-high 31 points, shooting an impressive 13-for-15 from the field and 5-for-6 from 3-point range. He also grabbed 10 rebounds, giving him his second NBA double-double.

Champagnie has averaged 18.5 minutes, 7.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 0.9 steals in 42 games and 15 starts for the Wizards this season. He has also shot 50.4% from the field, 37.8% from 3-point range and 71.4% fromt the foul line.

He also earned a spot in the NBA G League Up Next Game, featuring the best two-way and G League players, during All-Star weekend. Champagnie earned the second-most votes of any two-way or G League player, one of 10 that fans select for the game.

Champagnie praised the Wizards for believing in him throughout the process and that he's just done what the team's needed from him.

“It just goes to show that they value the work you put in," Champagnie said. "They value hard work. They value guys that come in every day, no matter what’s going on with the team and that’s what I try to do. Just come in here, be energy, be good for the team, do my job and excel in it.”

Champagnie committed to Pitt in the Class of 2019, as a three-star forward out of Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School in Brooklyn, N.Y.

He had a sensational freshman campaign, leading the Panthers with 12.7 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, while shooting 42.1% from the floor and 77.7% from the foul line. He also earned two ACC Freshman of the Week honors and started 27 of the 33 contests he played in.

Champagnie improved even more as a sophomore in the 2020-21 season, leading with 18.0 points and 11.1 rebounds per game, plus shooting 47.7% from the field, 31.1% from 3-point range and 71.1% from the free throw line.

His rebounding numbers led the ACC, which helped earn him First Team All-ACC honors, including three ACC Player of the Week honors too. He also earned an All-American honorable mention, the first Pitt player to do so since guards Ashton Gibbs and Brad Wanamaker did so in 2011.

Champagnie departed for the 2021 NBA Draft, but no team selected him. He spent time with both the Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics and on their G-League teams before landing with the Wizards.

He spoke on his experience playing in the G-League and how that shaped him into the player he is today, forcing him to work harder and focus more than he had prior.

“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 the turning point for me was when I got to Sioux Falls and I got away from Toronto.

"I had a really good coach and team out there and they instilled a couple things in me that kind of stuck with me, like the toughness, the grit and always to believe in myself and then once I got to DC, it was just like, 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.”

"It was kind of like, the confidence just went up and just kept putting the work in and it’s good to be around people that believe in me and let me be myself and I’m super grateful, super happy and I love it here."

While some praised the Wizards for the contract, due to it's length and low salary, Champagnie was esctatic for it and wants to use it to benefit his family, who ahve been there with him every step of the way.

“It means a lot," Champagnie said. "Some people may look at it and be like, “Oh it’s not a crazy amount,” but to me it is. Me and my people, we don’t come from much, so being able to get this contract means a lot for my family as well. I want to do some things for them because without them I wouldn't be here and they played a big part in who I am today and gave me it. Shout out to them, for sure.”

He joins his brother, San Antonio Spurs forward Julian Champagnie, with a full-time contract in the NBA. The two player finally realized their dreams together and have worked for almost two decades to get to this point.

“It’s dope," Champagnie said. "We dreamed of this since we were five years old. Both of us playing in the NBA together, now both on standard contracts, so it’s just dope. I’m just glad to experience it with him. That’s my boy and we put in a lot of pain for this."