Bexar County commissioners are scheduled to discuss Tuesday an amendment to the San Antonio Spurs’ lease regarding the number of “home” games the NBA team can play away from the AT&T Center.
Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff told KSAT on Monday that the Spurs want to play regular season home games in Mexico and Austin.
The Spurs’ lease at the county-owned AT&T Center states the team cannot play more than two home games outside of Bexar County during any one season. The Spurs are proposing to play at least two home games within a 100-mile radius from San Antonio, such as Austin or San Marcos and two international games in Mexico, Wolff told KSAT.
“They [Spurs] want to go to Austin and have a game. I know that,” Wolff told KSAT. “They figure that they can draw more people down there if they did that.”
Last week marked the official opening of the new Moody Center in Austin, a venue that replaced the Frank Erwin Center and can seat 10,000 to 15,000 for basketball games.
In a prepared statement Monday, Spurs CEO RC Buford said the franchise is looking for new ways to expand its fan base.
“From day one, we’ve received amazing support from Spurs fans in San Antonio and across South and Central Texas,” said Buford.
“We are committed to finding new, creative ways to purposefully engage and celebrate our fans from Mexico to Austin, continuing to expand our regional fan base. We believe San Antonio is uniquely positioned from a cultural, geographic and economic standpoint to serve as the anchor for this region. San Antonio has been home for five decades and the organization will continue to innovate, positioning the Spurs to thrive in San Antonio for the next 50 years.”
The Spurs have a non-relocation agreement that goes through the 2031–2032 season, according to Wolff. Last year, the team added Austin billionaire Michael Dell and a San Francisco-based investment firm to its investor group, and in November broke ground near La Cantera on a $510 million development that will include a training center and research institute.
