Jon Elmore, 30, makes first NBA minutes with Spurs during 2026-27 preseason

The San Antonio Spurs opened their 2026-27 preseason with a group that mixed established rotation players, two-way contracts, and several invitees to training camp. Among those looking to make an NBA mark, Jon Elmore stood out for one reason more than most: at 30 years old, he is getting his first taste of NBA minutes, a milestone that did not come quickly or easily.

According to coverage of the Spurs’ preseason slate, San Antonio played their first preseason games of the new season on Thursday and Saturday. The Spurs’ roster construction for the early look included fourteen players under standard NBA contracts, along with three “two-contracts” (commonly understood as two-way arrangements). Beyond that core group, the team hosted five additional invitees at training camp, giving them a chance to press for a roster spot.

Elmore is the eldest of those invitees. The same report notes that he is the fourth oldest player on the Spurs roster, behind Harrison Barnes, Tobias Harris, and Luke Kornet. That context matters because it underlines how unusual the moment is: instead of a young prospect taking the next step, it is a veteran on the wrong side of the typical age curve earning first NBA minutes.

The report characterizes Elmore’s path as one shaped by resilience over seven years. That framing is the point of the story at this stage, because the NBA is built to reward timing, and Elmore’s timing is coming later than most players are afforded. His appearance in preseason, then, functions less like a debut for a long-awaited prospect and more like a validation of persistence.

Preseason minutes also carry different stakes than regular-season games, and not every cameo translates into a secure role. Still, for a player like Elmore, simply being on the floor in NBA competition is a tangible reward, and it provides something coaches can measure directly, including how quickly a player processes reads, handles transition decisions, and fits into end-of-bench rotations.

For the Spurs, the immediate watch is how long the early invitees remain in the conversation as camp continues and the preseason narrows. The team’s inclusion of multiple invitees alongside two-way players suggests the Spurs are using the early games to evaluate a broader pool than the standard roster, but the next step will be whether any of those looks, including Elmore’s, become longer-term leverage for depth, practice groups, or a future roster spot.