SAN ANTONIO — The first San Antonio Spurs game in Austin is in the history books as the team not only got a thrilling win over the Blazers but gave Austin a taste of professional NBA basketball.
The Spurs put their best foot forward in the Texas capital with a week-long celebration, player appearances, community renovations, bar crawl, and made the Moody Center feel like "home court" for the Silver and Black.
And this is purposeful as the franchise wants to grow its brand across the South Texas region and sees the direct, positive impact Austin can give.
“Not only is Austin vibrant and growing but there’s a real appetite for pro sports there,” Spurs' RC Buford said to The Austin American-Statesman. “That’s pretty clear. And it’s such a transient workforce that was used to pro sports in their own backyard (before moving to Texas). We want to make sure professional basketball is front and center for Austin.”
The Spurs are hoping this increased presence in Austin and across the South Texas region will help the franchise compete with larger NBA markets.
And regionalizing their fan base is one of the goals.
In an interview with Locked On Spurs, Spurs VP of Basketball Administration, Brandon James, said an example is similar to what the Warriors did by seeking to expand their regional fanbase.
"I think there are some parallels you can draw," James said on Locked On Spurs. "They [Warriors] have done a good job at regionalizing their fan base. Throughout that corridor, they've done a good job of planting their flag and having people from that entire region identify the Warriors as their NBA team. Similar to what we're doing now is that we're trying to have people in Mexico and Austin and everywhere in between identify the Spurs as their professional sports team."
This push to expand the market footprint isn't just isolated to Austin.
Mexico is a target as well as the southern part of Texas and the corridor between Austin and San Antonio.
For example, the team's G League affiliate, Austin Spurs, played a regular-season game in Laredo, Texas this season.
The goal is a mega-region, not just Austin.
“We’ve done everything we can to be the team for San Antonio,” Buford said. “We have a unique relationship with our fans. The whole (Peter) Holt family as managing partner of our investment group has been clear. San Antonio is our home.”
With one more game in Austin Saturday afternoon, it does not mean the end of Austin regular-season Spurs games moving forward.
Head coach Gregg Popovich said playing games in Austin will be a regular event to expand its territory.
"We’ve got to make the effort to be seen and to get up here and play some games. And I think, you know, we’ll do that, I think, every year now," Popovich said. "I don’t think, I know. And so this is the start of that.”
And the territorial growth is not just to expand its footprint in Texas but to keep up with NBA T.V. market giants like the Lakers and the Knicks.
"We want to move to a top 10 TV market to compete with the Lakers and Nets of the world. We’ve outperformed our market size for so long, but the economics of the NBA have changed drastically, and we have to expand our scope,” James said to The Austin American-Statesman.
It's a win-win as it will keep the franchise thriving in the Alamo City with help from the surrounding area, Mexico, and Austin's corporate presence.
"We’re going to continue to work with Bexar County to build this region. Our market, if it’s strictly San Antonio, is in the bottom 10 of market sizes in the league. As we grow, we can move into a pretty elite group of markets," Buford said.
For now, San Antonio fans will have to get used to a new normal to keep their beloved team successful in the NBA and in San Antonio.
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