SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Spurs will continue their home-away-from-home games over the next two seasons after the Bexar County Commissioners Court approved an agreement letting them play some games away from the AT&T Center.
On Tuesday, Bexar County commissioners approved a measure allowing for three “home” games in venues other than the AT&T Center during each of the next two seasons. Two games will likely be played in Austin and one internationally, pending NBA approval.
Spurs Sports and Entertainment CEO R.C. Buford and Chief Legal Officer Bobby Perez presented commissioners with their new proposal, which was approved unanimously.
“We believe that, as we expand our brand, it will only bring great things to San Antonio and Bexar County. I want to emphasize San Antonio is our home. As we build our next-generation championship teams, we think it’s incredibly important for us to capture the competitive advantages that are available to us throughout our region,” said Buford.
Perez told commissioners that internal surveys showed that 90% of fans in the region, including Austin, want to watch games in San Antonio, and 77% want to spend a night at a San Antonio hotel, meaning more overall business for the area.
“We have developed 28,000 new leads that our sales and marketing team will again drill down on, focus on our core product, to bring people to hopefully Spurs games. If not a Spurs game, maybe an SAFC match. If not an SAFC match, a concert at the AT&T Center, and again pushing the San Antonio brand, pushing the Spurs Sports Entertainment brand,” said Perez.
The Silver and Black hosted games in Austin, Mexico City, and the Alamodome this year.
The Spurs’ first game in Austin on April 6 was considered by many to be a slam dunk after the team sold out and broke the Moody Center attendance. An announced crowd of 16,023 packed the relatively new arena on the University of Texas at Austin campus. The NBA considers Austin part of the Spurs’ home market and thus gives the franchise an opportunity to play games in the state capitol.
Despite the recent success in Austin, Buford and Perez reiterated San Antonio is the home of the franchise for the long haul, pointing to the construction of the $500 million-plus Victory Capital Performance Center on the far Northwest Side, which will serve as the Spurs’ basketball operations and offer commercial and community events.
“The Spurs organization sees our actions, and they trust us to do what is needed for the team to thrive in Bexar County for the long term, including today’s action,” said Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai. “I believe today’s action is about trust, and I trust the San Antonio Spurs.”
“We’re here today developing and continuing to — and to emphasize that trust that we’ve built with this community for 50 years,” said Buford.