On the surface, Tiago Splitter is a very traditional Spurs success story. Born in Brazil, he was drafted 28th overall by the Spurs in 2007 but continued developing overseas in Spain before coming to the NBA in 2010. He bided his time his rookie season before breaking into the main rotation his second year and played a big role in their 2014 championship, becoming the first from his nation to win one along the way.
Then, injuries set in. Calf issues and the need to open up cap space in pursuit of LaMarcus Aldridge led the Spurs to trade him after the 2014-15 season, and he would only play in 44 more games over the next two seasons with the Hawks and 76ers before retiring due to deteriorating hips.