San Antonio Spurs
A disciplined dynasty defined by teamwork, grit, and a relentless pursuit of perfection.
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. They compete in the NBA as a member of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference, playing home games at Frost Bank Center. The Spurs are one of four former ABA teams to remain intact in the NBA after the 1976 ABA–NBA merger, one of two former ABA teams to have won an NBA championship (the other being the Denver Nuggets), and the only former ABA team to have won multiple championships. The franchise has won NBA championships in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014. As of the 2022–23 season, the Spurs had the highest winning percentage among active NBA franchises.
Quick Facts
- Conference
- Western
- Division
- Southwest
- Founded
- 1967
- Arena
- Frost Bank Center
- Location
- San Antonio, Texas
- Sponsor
- Ledger.com
- Ceo
- R. C. Buford
- President
- Gregg Popovich
Lore & Background
The Spurs' success has coincided with the tenure of former head coach Gregg Popovich, as well as with the playing careers of Spurs icons David Robinson (1989–2003) and Tim Duncan (1997–2016). From 1999–2000 to 2016–17, the Spurs won 50 games each season, setting a record of 18 consecutive 50-win seasons. In the 2018–19 season, the Spurs matched an NBA record for most consecutive playoff appearances with 22. The team's early ABA roots began as the Dallas Chaparrals in 1967. After financial struggles, a group of 35 San Antonio businessmen—led by Angelo Drossos, John Schaefer, and Red McCombs—worked out a lend-lease deal with the Dallas ownership group. The team was renamed the Spurs, with colors changed to black, silver and white. In their first game at HemisFair Arena, the Spurs lost to the San Diego Conquistadors despite attracting 6,000 fans. The early Spurs were led by ABA veteran James Silas, and the team grew stronger by acquiring Swen Nater (who would go on to win Rookie of the Year) and George Gervin from the Virginia Squires in January 1974. The ABA tried to halt the Gervin deal, but a judge ruled in the Spurs' favor and Gervin made his Spurs debut on February 7, 1974. The Spurs finished their inaugural season with a 45–39 record, good for third place in the Western Division.
Reader's Guide
Spurs players are active members of the San Antonio community, and many former Spurs are still active in San Antonio, including David Robinson with the Carver Academy, and George Gervin with the George Gervin Youth Center. The Spurs set several NBA attendance records while playing at the Alamodome, including the largest crowd ever for an NBA Finals game in 1999, and the Spurs continue to sell out the smaller Frost Bank Center (formerly SBC Center and AT&T Center) on a regular basis. Since 2003, the team has been forced into an extended road trip for much of February since the Frost Bank Center hosts the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo during that month, informally known as the 'Rodeo Road Trip'. The Spurs' early home was HemisFair Arena, where they drew 6,303 fans per game in their first season, surpassing the Chaparrals' entire total attendance in only 18 games. After only one year, the ownership group exercised their option to tear up the lease agreement, buy the franchise outright and keep the team in San Antonio for good. In June 1976, the ABA–NBA merger took place, moving San Antonio's sole professional sports franchise into a new league. The Spurs, the Denver Nuggets, the Indiana Pacers, and the New York Nets joined the NBA for the 1976–77 season.
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