Photo: San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs have announced their schedule for the team’s 50th anniversary season, which will feature a season-long celebration of 50 years of Spurs basketball since the team arrived in the Alamo City in 1973 with special events and surprises throughout the entire year.
OPENING NIGHT
The Spurs 50th Anniversary season will tip off on Wednesday, Oct. 19, against the Charlotte Hornets, when the franchise will honor Spurs legend Manu Ginobili’s 2022 Basketball Hall of Fame induction. A four-time champion with the Spurs and two-time NBA All-Star, Ginobili will be on hand as his jersey in the rafters of the AT&T Center will be revealed with a Hall of Fame distinction at halftime. In addition, compliments of H-E-B, everyone in attendance will receive a limited-edition Spurs x nba paint collaborative T-shirt that will pay tribute to Ginobili becoming a Hall of Famer.
ALAMODOME RETURN
Commemorating 50 years in San Antonio, the Spurs will be “Back Home in the Dome” and return to play a game in the Alamodome for the first time since 2002, where they will host the defending champion Golden State Warriors on Friday, Jan. 13.
San Antonio is striving to break the NBA’s all-time attendance record for a regular season game by filling the Alamodome with Silver and Black fans. The league’s current record stands at 62,046 when the Atlanta Hawks hosted the Chicago Bulls in 1998, while the configuration for this year’s Alamodome game will utilize the entire stadium and hold the capacity to reach over 65,000 fans.
“The Spurs are connected to San Antonio like no other team in professional sports,” said Bexar County Judge Nelson W. Wolff. “The entire 50th anniversary season will be a celebration of the success we’ve all enjoyed together, highlighted by setting an NBA record at the Alamodome game.”
“The first 50 years have been a blast and the anniversary game will be one, too,” said Mayor Ron Nirenberg, City of San Antonio. “The game will be a great time to celebrate together. Let’s show the Spurs some San Antonio spirit by filling the Alamodome.”
SEASON-LONG CELEBRATION
San Antonio is also set to host premier home games all season long, including the Los Angeles Lakers in back-to-back home games the two days after Thanksgiving on Friday, Nov. 25 and Saturday, Nov. 26. The Spurs welcome their interstate rival the Dallas Mavericks on New Year’s Eve, and the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics in San Antonio on Saturday, Jan. 7.
The Silver and Black will play three other home games away from the AT&T Center, part of the Spurs drive to deepen the team’s regional fanbase, with a game in Mexico City on Saturday, Dec. 17 against the Miami Heat, then in Austin against the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday, April 6 and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday, April 8.
RIVER BARGE BOBBLEHEADS
At select home games on notable theme nights this season, a Spurs legend bobblehead will be given out to the first 10,000 fans in attendance. At the end of the season, all five bobbleheads will come together as one unit for fans who collect the entire series to form a Spurs river barge, made popular during the team’s championship celebrations.
Origins Night – Monday, Nov. 7 vs. Denver
George Gervin Bobblehead, presented by Frost
1999 Championship Night – Friday, Dec. 2 vs. New Orleans
David Robinson Bobblehead, presented by Frost
2003 Championship Night – Monday, Dec. 12 vs. Cleveland
Tim Duncan Bobblehead, presented by H-E-B
2005 Championship Night –Wednesday, Feb. 1 vs. Sacramento
Manu Ginobili Bobblehead, presented by Self Financial
2007 Championship Night – Thursday, March 2 vs. Indiana
Tony Parker Bobblehead, presented by SWBC
The Spurs will also hold a 2014 Championship Night on Tuesday, March 14, when San Antonio hosts the Orlando Magic. More information and details on these theme nights and events throughout the entire year will be announced leading up to the season.