The 2014 champion Brazilian Iron Gate, one of Duncan’s toughest partners, from European MVP to NBA champion

2022-23 season is the 50th year that the Spurs have taken root in San Antonio. This team, known for its stability and team culture, is not only the three epoch-making superstars, George Gervin, David Robinson and Tim Duncan, but also famous for discovering international players. Thiago Split, an important member of the 2014 championship, Duncan's most powerful inside helper in his late years, is a classic example of the Spurs' international player system - he used solid defense and efficient offense to make up the most critical piece of the Silver and Black Army championship puzzle.

was born in Split, Brazil, in the football kingdom of football, and came to Spain at the age of 15 to join the Tawu team (now Real Madrid Basketball Club). Oberto, Scola, who have walked out of Argentina's golden generation, and Brazilian fellow Walterdo, are the "alchemy furnace" for international players. When he first arrived, Tawu had just signed the rising Scola, and the young Split was loaned to the low-level league to polish it. After three years of twists and turns, at the age of 18, he finally returns and fights side by side with his idol Scola. Around Scola, he witnessed the team win three consecutive championships in the league, cup championship and Super Cup, reaching the Champions League final twice, and gradually growing from a substitute to the core. In 2007, Scola rushed to the NBA, Split took over the banner, helped the team win the ACB league championship in 2008 and 2010, winning the regular season and finals MVP, and becoming the top center in the European League.

In 2007, Split was selected by the Spurs at the 28th pick in the first round, but Tawu was unwilling to let go of the core and he had to stay in Europe. It wasn’t until 2010 that he was 26 years old that he officially landed in San Antonio. Split, who was new to the NBA, experienced labor pains: averaging only 12.3 minutes per game, scoring 4.6 points and 3.4 rebounds. But the Spurs' "small ball transformation" tailored his role - he used his excellent position selection and body to provide cover for Parker and Ginobili, and his finishing efficiency at the basket soared to 61.8% (first in the team). In the 2012-13 season, he squeezed out Blair to become the starting center, averaging 10.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, scoring double-digit points in 16 consecutive games, becoming the first inside partner to provide Duncan with support for double-digit averages after Robinson retired.

In the 2011 playoffs, the Spurs were "black eight" by the Grizzlies, and Zach Randolph became an eternal pain in the inside. In the 2013 playoffs, the Spurs met the Grizzlies again, and Split became the "key for revenge": he limited Randolph's average score to 11 points, hitting a shooting percentage to 30.2%, and he outputted with 68.2%; teamed up with Duncan to drop Gasol's shooting percentage to 39.7%, helping the Spurs sweep their opponents 4-0, avenging their revenge two years ago. In the 2014 playoffs, he continued his dominant defense: he pushed Dirk's shooting percentage to 42.9% in the first round (the lowest since the Black Eight in 2007), and Aldridge was limited to 41.7% in the second round. In the finals, the Spurs made a mercury offense and won the championship with the largest net difference in history. Split became the first Brazilian to win the NBA championship. He also completed "revenge" against Wade in the series, clearing the regret of being blocked by James in the 2013 Finals.

Split after winning the championship, frequent injuries caused by frequent competitions (NBA + national team): he only played 52 games in the 2014-15 season, and his return to the playoffs still could not prevent the Spurs from being eliminated by the Clippers. In 2015, in order to give Aldridge space, the Spurs traded him to the Hawks. Since then, he suffered repeated hip and leg injuries, and at the age of 33, he retired with helplessness.

After retiring, he became a coach and served as player development coach for the Nets and Rockets, passing on the Spurs' system wisdom. Off the court, he had already integrated into the Spurs family, and the "coffee team" formed with Ginobili and Mills became a microcosm of the team's culture; every time he returned to San Antonio, he always received warm applause from fans - this city will always remember that the 2.11-meter Brazilian was once the most reliable "shield" around Duncan.