A week ago, Marcus Spears Jr. committed to the Texas Longhorns and reclassified to the class of 2026, joining head coach Sean Miller's program a season earlier than expected.
After his commitment, the sporting world voiced its congratulations for the previous No. 1 prospect in the class of 2027, including his father, Marcus Spears, a sporting legend in his own regard, and the Texas volleyball team, which Spears' older sister Cari plays on.
Also read: Texas just landed Marcus Spears Jr. and Longhorns fans are going berserk
Those congratulatory messages included one from none other than Longhorn Legend Kevin Durant, who took to social media to welcome Spears to Texas.
"Welcome home Junior," Durant wrote on Instagram. "It's where [you] belong."
Longhorns legend Kevin Durant showing love to Texas' newest top recruit 🤘 pic.twitter.com/PBIg3HBWkw
— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) July 10, 2026
Well, Miller and the rest of the Texas men's basketball program would have a hard time arguing with or topping that message. It's pretty hard to beat a "welcome home" from a two-time NBA Champion, two-time NBA Finals MVP, and four-time Olympic gold medalist... just to name a few of Durant's accomplishments.
Marcus Spears Jr. joins the Horns on the 40 Acres
Just a few days after his commitment to the Horns, Spears had already arrived on the 40 Acres and was putting in reps on his new home court. Well, the practice court, that is.
In the pictures that the Texas men's basketball team shared of Spears getting up shots, he was already wearing burnt orange shoes. If you look closely, you could even see that they are a Nike model by none other than Kevin Durant.
first reps as a Longhorn🤘#AlwaysCompete | @Mspearsjr pic.twitter.com/Uv2QewgGQZ
— Texas Men’s Basketball (@TexasMBB) July 15, 2026
Spears was the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2027 before moving up to the class of 2026 and committing to Texas. With his commitment, Miller's incoming group of prospects ranked fifth in the nation and second in the SEC.
Read more: Horns make major move on new 2027 No. 1 recruit Beckham Black fresh off Marcus Spears commitment
He joined five-star small forward Austin Goosby, four-star shooting guard Bo Ogden, four-star combo guard Joe Sterling, Lithuanian point guard Mantas Laurencikas, and 6-foot-10 center Coleman Elkins. Additionally, the Longhorns landed a top-four transfer portal class, adding even more depth and talent to the roster.
With commitments from former Auburn small forward Elyjah Freeman and former Tennessee, Miller poached stars from within the conference. Not to mention that he landed four-star point guard Isaiah Johnson (Colorado), four-star power forward David Punch (TCU), and four-star combo guard Mikey Lewis (Saint Mary's).
Simply put, the Longhorns are set up to succeed for years to come, and Miller has put the Texas basketball program back among the best, so much so that even Durant has to celebrate.
Add us as a preferred source on Google