SAN ANTONIO — 2023 was one for the history books for the San Antonio Spurs, if not the record book.
Despite the worst stretch of sustained losing in decades, this storied franchise added several new chapters they can be proud of, from Austin and the Alamodome to Las Vegas and the Hall of Fame. All the losing and a lot of luck brought a new franchise cornerstone to San Antonio, and the hope for a new dynasty with Victor Wembanyama.
Here's a look back at the 10 most memorable moments for the Spurs in 2023:
Remember the Alamo(dome Game)
The Spurs celebrated 50 years in San Antonio last season, and 68,323 of their closest friends came to the Alamodome for the golden birthday party.
The fan-fueled light show before tipoff set the stage for an unforgettable environment that shattered the NBA record for most fans at a regular-season game. From barbecue and barbacoa in the parking lot to Tag Team's performance at halftime, the whole event felt like a family reunion for the historic number of Spurs fans in attendance. The Golden State Warriors demolished the home team 144-113, and it didn't seem to matter one bit.
“The fans enjoyed themselves even though we were getting our ass kicked,” Gregg Popovich said. “They seemed to be having a hell of a time, so there must have been a lot of beer sales out there.”
Capital Debut in Austin
The Spurs also celebrated 50 years in San Antonio by playing the last two home games of their season in Austin. Fans have mixed feelings about the flirtation with the state's capital, but the organization says their courtship of this large, nearby, growing market is key to keeping the team in San Antonio.
The Spurs hosted the Trail Blazers and Timberwolves in front of rowdy crowds of around 16,000 at the brand-new Moody Center. The first regular-season NBA game in the capital of Texas drew all sorts of basketball fans, and they erupted as the home team made a late push to secure a narrow win over Portland.
Popovich confirmed that the team would be back next year, and the I-35 series will continue in 2024 with games against the Nuggets and Nets in March.
The Wrong Kind of History
The 60-loss campaign that ended in 2023 was the worst season for a Spurs team since they went 20-62 in 1997. That's the year Pop fired Bob Hill and took over as head coach, and that gave them a chance to get lucky and draft Tim Duncan.
The youngest roster in the last quarter-century under Popovich managed a frustrating montage of losing and learning with some flashes of potential mixed in. They had the league's worst defense, the league's worst net rating and the league's second-worst offense. They lost 16 games in a row at one point, which was (at the time) a franchise record.
It was the kind of season everyone was happy to see end, especially with the hope of landing the player hailed as the best NBA prospect since LeBron James.
Winning a Generational Jackpot
By finishing the season with one of the three worst records in the league, San Antonio gave themselves a 14% chance to get the top overall pick.
That isn't really a lot, but it's the best possible odds. And this wasn't just any first overall pick: It was the first overall pick that would without a doubt be used to select 19-year-old Victor Wembanyama. At 7'3" or taller with an 8-foot wingspan and guard skills, he was already an MVP of his league at the pro level in France, and most talent evaluators believe he should become one of the best players in the league sooner or later.
Spurs fans piled into the Roo Pub, which promised they'd pay off everyone's tab if the home team got their guy. The place was packed and the energy was a mix of nervous and excited that started as mostly the former and shifted toward the latter as the NBA's deputy commissioner read off each team that wasn't San Antonio.
Finally, San Antonio was the only team left.
Drinks flew in the air and the room at Roo shook in a joyous earthquake. A season of suffering and a lucky night gave this proud team and fanbase a new cornerstone to hopefully build a new dynasty around.
In a moment that will live in infamy in Houston, Wembanyama appeared to pump his fist in celebration when the Rockets were called fourth. After San Antonio won the pick, Tony Parker shared a picture of Victor wearing his Spurs jersey as a kid.
Welcome, Wemby
The jubilation lasted through draft night, when San Antonio made it official and Wemby soaked in the emotion of the moment before saying, "I can't believe it, I'm a damn Spur."
Earlier that week he threw out an ill-fated first pitch at Yankee Stadium. On draft night at Barclays he spent some time with his new teammate Jeremy Sochan and ran through an absolute gauntlet of media responsibilities that follow a player of that caliber.
It became clear that he didn't quite understand the concept of a breakfast taco, but that was quickly remedied when he touched down in the Alamo City and was immediately handed a bag full of them. The fans waited to greet him at the airport, and he was later given a proper introduction on the River Walk.
The Alien had officially arrived.
Jeers, Cheers and Britney Spears in Las Vegas
Wemby played his first game in a Spurs uniform at Summer League in Las Vegas, and after tremendous buildup he fell flat in his debut. After scoring just 9 points on 2/13 shooting, he said he didn't really know what he was doing out there. He still tallied 8 rebounds, 5 blocks and 3 assists.
He made up for it in the next game, dominating with 27 points, 12 rebounds and several "Wow"-caliber plays that not many other guys can make. After that performance, he had nothing left to prove in the desert.
Before the games, however, there was a bizarre incident that highlighted just how famous the rookie is. A fan approached him from behind and Spurs security pushed her hand back. The fan was Britney Spears.
Wembanyama lamented that the media frenzy from the draft through Summer League had left little time for basketball, and he said he was excited to disappear from the cameras for a bit to work on his frame and his game in peace.
Spurs Headline Hall of Fame Class
Five-time NBA champion and Olympic gold medalist Gregg Popovich was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame alongside Tony Parker, Pau Gasol and Becky Hammon. Dirk Nowitzki and Dwyane Wade got their flowers, too, in an absolutely stacked class, but there was a distinct San Antonio flavor to it.
During Hammon's speech, she and Popovich shared a poignant emotional moment as they both fought tears.
Pop spent a lot of his time thanking people, and distilled what coaching means to him.
"I got to know them for a very long time, get close to their families, their children, my grandchildren go to school with Tim Duncan's children. It's pretty special in that regard," Pop said. "The effect they have on me, it gives me much more meaning than teaching somebody how to go backdoor to be very honest with you. It's beyond basketball, and I think that's what sustains us as we move through life.
"I don't go to bed at night thinking too much about three-point shots or anything, that's what we did during the day, but I do hope that the players are doing well in their own regard in their lives. That's what really matters to me."
State of the Art Facility
Before the season started, the Spurs opened up their brand new practice facility at The Rock at La Cantera.
The Victory Capital Performance Center was purpose-built for the team's needs and culture, from new courts and equipment to a medical center and dining area.
The project has been in the works for almost a decade. On the northwest side of the city, a turn onto Championship Drive leads to a gigantic new building designed to be a state-of-the-art home for the team, from the players and coaches to the front office and medical staff. Team officials said they visited over 250 similar facilities around the world to decide what they wanted to build, and they landed on something they see as a physical structure that embodies and enhances the team's culture and values and helps them attract talent.
Rock Bottom Results
Pop set higher expectations at Media Day before this season, saying that winning this year would be as important as learning had been in the past. The team worked hard over the summer to develop some chemistry, and with Wemby there was reason to hope.
He helped lead San Antonio to a 3-2 start with shocking wins in consecutive games on the road in Phoenix, but after that came 18 losses in a row to break the franchise record. Pop's experiment with Jeremy Sochan at point guard didn't produce positive results, and he went in another direction after 20 games.
This year's Spurs team has an even worse net rating than last year's squad and this year's Pistons, who have lost an NBA-record 27 straight. San Antonio owns the worst offense in the league, which can be blamed primarily on poor shooting and turnover trouble. Getting Wembanyama the ball has been a consistent problem, and though he's been productive, he hasn't been particularly efficient.
Still, he's showing what makes him such a special prospect.
'Stop the booing'
Gregg Popovich produced one of the more surreal moments in the NBA this year during a game against the Clippers when he grabbed the microphone to scold his home crowd in the middle of the game. The San Antonio fans had been booing former Spur Kawhi Leonard, who they've booed loudly since he forced his way off the team in 2018.
In between a pair of Leonard's free throws, Pop walked to the public address mic at half court and addressed the public.
"Excuse me for a second. Please stop all the booing and let these guys play. It's got no class, it's not who we are," Popovich said to the crowd. "Knock off the booing."
The fans booed louder than they had all night, and the bizarre incident sparked days of discourse that seemed split between boos and applause. When asked about it repeatedly that night, Pop was short with reporters and claimed he took the mic because "you don't poke the bear."
Asked again later that week, Popovich gave a more complete and honest answer.
"It's pretty easy to understand," he said. "I listened to it for a while and it just got louder and louder and uglier and uglier, and I felt sorry for him. I was embarrassed for our city, for our organization. Because that's not who we are. That's not how we've conducted ourselves for the last 25 years. It's the opposite of the way we've conducted ourselves, the way we've worked in the community.”
Wemby's Run at Rookie of the Year
Despite San Antonio's struggles as a team, Wembanyama has a strong case for Rookie of the Year.
He's averaging 18.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.3 steals and 3.2 blocks, leading all rookies in every category except assists. He leads the entire league in blocks. The shooting percentages aren't quite as impressive: just 44% from the floor and 28.5% from three, and that's where OKC's Chet Holmgren has an edge.
Wembanyama is not yet 20 and he's already the Spurs' best and most impactful player. Amid a move from power forward to center he broke Dwight Howard's record for most consecutive games with a double-double (8). When he scored 38 points in his fifth NBA game, he was the youngest to do that except for LeBron, KD, Anthony Edwards and Carmelo Anthony.
His move to center has corresponded with a boost in his already impressive play. In the eight games he's started at center he's averaged 18/5 points, 12.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 4.5 blocks, and 1.3 steals while hitting 46% from the floor and 34% from three.
There were concerns coming in about the Frenchman's durability given his skinny frame, but he's played in all but four games so far. All the while, he keeps making jaw-dropping plays that hammer home just how unique and dynamic a threat he already is on both ends of the floor.
Wemby led the Spurs to a win over the Trail Blazers on Dec. 28 with an astounding stat line that points to quadruple-double potential. In just 24 minutes, he scored 30 points on 9-14 shooting to go along with six rebounds, six assists and seven blocks.
Since the NBA started counting blocks in 1973, the only other rookie to hit those statistical marks was David Robinson. The list of other players to do it at any point in their career goes like this:
- Joel Embiid (1x)
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (2x)
- Anthony Davis (1x)
- Hakeem Olajuwon (3x)
- David Robinson (3x)
- Charles Barkley (1x)
- Julius Erving (1x)
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (8x)