This story appears in SLAM 263. Get your copy here.

Marcus Spears Jr. is country down to his core. His southern dialect sees “mug” get thrown into every other sentence. When he’s not galloping down the court nailing threes, putting pressure on the rim and sending shots out of bounds, he’s either in a hunting blind or on the boat, fishing rod in hand. The outdoors is his sanctuary. But when he does step on the hardwood, “Jun’s a monster, bro,” his father, Marcus Spears Sr., says.

As the son of a former starting defensive end with the Dallas Cowboys and the No. 7 overall pick in the 2003 WNBA Draft, the No. 1 player in the Class of 2027 in June has been building the foundation of his game for years, with a competitive edge that can only be built in a house full of former and future professional athletes.

“I don’t feel like I’m actually as naturally gifted at basketball as some people think,” Jun says. “Obviously, some stuff comes to me just because talent-wise. But I feel like I kind of had to work a little bit to get where I’m at.” 

While his dad instilled physical and mental toughness, his mom Aiysha made sure he kept a strict regimen. On the court, he was going through two-a-day workouts in grade school with Team CP3. At home, the former Mystics forward constructed a makeshift rim out of a wire hanger, where he’d shoot hundreds of wads of paper a day. And in his downtime, his older and younger sisters helped instill the competitive fire that’s been on display this summer with Drive Nation. Who could hold a handstand the longest? Who could run up the stairs the fastest? Everything in the Spears household featured a competition or a goal. 

“I just don’t want to lose. So I feel like I just do whatever it takes for us to not lose, whether it’s in the beginning of the game or at the end of the game. My pops is always on me about that, being consistent, playing hard the whole game, stuff like that,” Spears Jr. says. “So I just go out there and do whatever I’ve got to do for us not to lose.” 

The 6-10 Texas native doesn’t have to flip a switch to get it going—his childhood environment developed an always-on mentality. You could see it in Mexico during the 2025 FIBA U16 AmeriCup, where he led Team USA to gold with averages of 14 points (team-high), 6.5 boards, 2 steals and 1.8 blocks a game. The EYBL circuit’s been witnessing it in session after session this spring and summer. And it’s part of the reason why he decided to reclassify from the Class of 2027 to 2026 and announce his commitment to the University of Texas out of nowhere.

“I kind of realized probably a month ago I could actually do it and impact the game,” Spears Jr. says. “This is going to be a high-level team, a lot of mature guys. [I’m excited to] get out there, learn with them. Honestly, help us win some games. And basketball is starting to come back up for Texas. So just to be a part of that is big for me.”

In the meantime, he’s working on building up the little things to match his natural abilities. Fine-tuning his ballhandling, reading and reacting out of the mid-post and improving his efficiency shooting off the dribble. The persistent work that’s been undertaken since he was in elementary school has been in the pursuit of a list of lofty goals—all of which don’t seem that far out of reach anymore. All-Star. No. 1 pick in the draft. “And I want to be an Olympian,” Spears Jr. says. 

“I want to accomplish a lot of things. What my family has accomplished doesn’t really put pressure on me, because like my parents say, we don’t have to do this. It’s something that we want to do. So I don’t feel like I’m pressured to go be good at basketball or whatever. I feel like it’s something I want to do. And I feel like just being great, the accomplishments come with
it, with the work and stuff like that. So I don’t really go out and hunt these things. I just feel like I work every day and those will come eventually.” 

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Portraits by Trevor Paulhus.