Spurs get OK to play handful more games outside San Antonio in upcoming seasons
The San Antonio Spurs have been approved to move six games out of San Antonio over the next two seasons, with a few of those games likely landing in Austin.
Bexar County Commissioners unanimously approved San Antonio Spurs request to amend their non-relocation contract, allowing them to play six games outside of San Antonio in the next two seasons.
The Spurs will play two home regular-season games in Austin, and one at an international to be determined during the seasons 2023-2024 or 2024-2025.
The vote on April 18 in Bexar, the county that is home to San Antonio confirms what Gregg Popovich and team executives had stated after Austin's Moody Center held two Spurs matches earlier in the month. They said the team hoped to continue playing a limited number of games in the capital to tap into a greater fan base and to expand its media market.
The first regular-season NBA games played in Austin, Texas, produced record crowds, including 16,148 people standing at the Moody Center on April 8, when the Spurs lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Bexar County Commissioners approved the Spurs' request in May to move up to seven games from the AT&T Center to the AT&T Center during the seasons 2022-2023 or 2023-2024. This past season, the Spurs were allowed to relocate four games. In addition to playing at Moody Stadium, they also played at the Alamodome, which attracted an NBA record-breaking crowd, and in Mexico City.
Officials from the Spurs said that the relocation of certain games would enable the team to reach a larger audience.
Spurs CEO R.C. Buford said, "We are committed in finding new and creative ways to engage and celebrate our fan base from Mexico to Austin while continuing to grow our regional fanbase." Buford said.
Nelson Wolff was Bexar County Judge when commissioners approved amended deal. He said that based on comments made by Spurs managing partner Peter J. Holt he felt confident the team would remain in San Antonio.
He warned that losing Spurs would be "a great tragedy."
Spurs officials have cited the involvement of the team in the $500 million La Cantera project, which is currently under construction and will include a brand new training facility, as proof that the organization remains firmly rooted in San Antonio.
Local officials are also involved in this project.
Bexar County judge Peter Sakai stated, "We, together with the city, have invested in a modern training facility and human performances center." "The Spurs Organization sees this action, and they trust that we will do what it takes to ensure the team's long-term success in Bexar County, including today’s actions." It's all about trust."