The Austin Spurs are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Cedar Park, Texas , and are affiliated with the San Antonio Spurs . The team plays their home games at H-E-B Center at Cedar Park . The team has made the postseason in 8 out of 14 seasons in the NBA Development League.
150-670: On October 15, 2014, after the San Antonio Spurs purchased the franchise, the team colors and logo were changed to reflect the silver and black motif used by the Spurs. The Spurs are coached by Scott King. Their general manager is Josh Larson. The Austin Spurs were established in Columbus, Georgia , as the Columbus Riverdragons . The franchise in 2005 was sold to Southwest Basketball, LLC, and were relocated to
300-468: A $ 150 million expansion fee, a significant increase from the $ 100 million that New York City FC paid to join MLS in 2015. MLS announced plans to expand to 30 teams by 2023, and set the expansion fee for the 28th and 29th teams (ultimately Sacramento Republic FC and St. Louis City SC) at $ 200 million. The 30th team, ultimately unveiled as 2022 entry Charlotte FC, reportedly paid $ 325 million. For comparison,
450-491: A Spur because of his prior two-year commitment to serve in the United States Navy. The Spurs seemingly bottomed out in 1988–89 with a record of 21–61, the worst in franchise history at the time. However, the 1989–90 season was notable for several reasons. It was the first season of full ownership for Red McCombs, who was an original investor in the team and helped solidify local ownership for the team. Additionally,
600-403: A broken foot sidelined him for the rest of the season. Elliott also missed more than half the season due to injury. Forward Chuck Person would miss the entire season with a back injury. Without Robinson and Elliott, the Spurs were a rudderless team. The lone bright spot was Wilkins, leading the team in scoring with an average of 18.2 points per game. The Spurs ended the season with a 20–62 record,
750-421: A combined metro area of over 2 million), a league business model that relies more heavily on equally distributed television revenue that puts small-market teams at less of a disadvantage, and the loyalty of their Cheesehead fan base, whose fans and their next of kin typically renew their season tickets every year until their issue expires, resulting in a centuries-long waiting list for season tickets. Green Bay
900-674: A first-division league, with that title going instead to the Canadian Premier League (CPL). However, Canadian teams in the MLS are regarded as Division I teams, and MLS is generally acknowledged as having a higher quality of play than the CPL, significantly more media coverage and economic success, and has teams based in Canada's three largest metropolitan areas, who together have dominated the Canadian Championship ,
1050-425: A flop, as the coach was fired 20 games into the 1992–93 season with the Spurs record at 9–11. After Rex Hughes filled the coaching shoes for one game, NBA veteran John Lucas was named head coach. It was Lucas' first NBA coaching assignment, although he had gained recognition in league circles for his success in helping NBA players rehab from drug abuse. The Lucas era started out successfully. His coaching propelled
1200-524: A kidney transplant from his brother prior to the season, returned and played in the last 19 games. As the season wound down, Duncan suffered a knee injury and the Spurs finished in second place with a 53–29 record. Without Duncan, the Spurs were knocked out of the playoffs by the Phoenix Suns in four games. The long-term viability of the Spurs franchise in San Antonio was, however, achieved during
1350-754: A mediocre 41–37 record. In the playoffs, the Chaparrals quickly fell to the New Orleans Buccaneers . The team suffered from poor attendance and general disinterest in Dallas. In fact, during the 1970–71 season , the name "Dallas" was dropped in favor of "Texas" and an attempt was made to make the team a regional one, playing games in Fort Worth , at the Tarrant County Convention Center , as well as Lubbock , at
1500-763: A member of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference . The team plays its home games at Frost Bank Center . The Spurs are one of four former American Basketball Association (ABA) teams to remain intact in the NBA after the 1976 ABA–NBA merger , one of two former ABA teams to have won an NBA championship (the other being the Denver Nuggets ), and the only former ABA team to have won multiple championships. The franchise has won NBA championships in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014. As of
1650-726: A metro area of that size being the Buffalo Sabres ). While only one MLB team, the San Diego Padres , is located in a market that has no other major league teams, six NBA teams are located in cities devoid of any additional "Big Four" franchises: the Memphis Grizzlies , Oklahoma City Thunder , Orlando Magic , Portland Trail Blazers , Sacramento Kings , and San Antonio Spurs . Four of these six NBA-only cities also lack an MLS team (Memphis, Oklahoma City, Sacramento, San Antonio). The Salt Lake City market, home to
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#17327762462621800-411: A multi-league knockout competition which technically decides the national champions of Canada. This makes Canada unusual in awarding its national soccer championship to the winner of its premier knockout tournament, rather than the winners of its highest-level league competition. MLS is unique among U.S. and Canada's major sports leagues in that the teams take part in multiple separate tournament outside
1950-609: A population of more than 1 million host at least one major sports franchise. All five U.S.-based major leagues each currently have at least two teams in both the New York/North Jersey area and the Los Angeles/Anaheim market. MLB, which historically (as a result of its history as two rival leagues) had a team in each component league in Boston, Philadelphia and St. Louis up until the mid-20th century, and in
2100-462: A respectable 17–10 start during the 1974–75 season , Coach Tom Nissalke was fired as the team's ownership become tired of the Spurs' slow playing style. He was replaced by Bob Bass , who said, "It is my belief that you cannot throw a set offense at another professional team for 48 minutes. You've got to let them play some schoolyard basketball." Gervin and Silas took that style to heart, as the Spurs became an exciting fast-break team. The team finished
2250-577: A second-round series with the Phoenix Suns as the key series in the entire NBA playoffs, as this series featured the teams with the two best records remaining in the NBA. The Spurs went on to win 4–2 in the contentious and controversial series versus the Suns. The series featured a Robert Horry foul on Steve Nash toward the end of Game 4 which resulted in Horry being suspended for two games. Those who said
2400-573: A shortened 50-game season, the Spurs won their first two games of the season, against the Kings and the Timberwolves respectively. However, the Spurs lost their next three games to the Lakers, Timberwolves, and Cavaliers, the latter a 99–89 road loss. The Spurs finished the regular season with an NBA-best 37–13 record (.740 win percentage), the only season during Duncan's tenure with the Spurs that
2550-526: A slow upward trend for the league. Its level of play is generally recognized as on the second tier of professional football, with the CFL having a slight advantage in player recruitment compared to second-tier American leagues such as the UFL due to the CFL's longer established history. Major professional sports leagues are distinguished from other sports leagues in terms of business and economic factors, popularity of
2700-728: A small part of North Carolina. The largest TV market without a major franchise is the Hartford – New Haven market, covering all of Connecticut except the former Fairfield County ; Hartford's last major league squad, the NHL's Whalers , left in 1997. The NHL has been the dominant professional sports league in Canada, and was first established in Canada in 1917. The NHL was initially based entirely in eastern Canada. By 1925, Hamilton and Quebec City no longer had NHL teams, while Ottawa left in 1934, by which point American teams were slowly being added. The first Canadian expansion launched in 1970 with
2850-431: A strong performance by David Robinson who recorded 27 points, 16 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 blocks for the Spurs. The next game, Sean Elliott recorded 23 points and David Robinson added 18 points and 19 rebounds as the Spurs got their first win of the season against the visiting New Jersey Nets. The Spurs finished with the NBA's best record at 62–20, cracking the 60-win mark for the first time in franchise history. Robinson
3000-585: A team from the league's unsuccessful 1990s-era South Division . The CFL has had either eight or nine teams in operation since its inception except for the 1994 and 1995 seasons in which the league temporarily expanded into the United States. Each of the Big Four leagues has at least 30 teams (the NFL has had 32 teams since 2002 and the NHL added its 32nd team in 2021), and each has had at least 29 teams since
3150-574: A team in Vancouver ; the NHL later added teams in Edmonton , Winnipeg and Quebec City (through absorption of WHA franchises), Calgary (via relocation from Atlanta ) and Ottawa (via expansion) to go with the still-extant Toronto and Montreal teams. The distinctive place ice hockey holds in Canadian culture allowed these franchises to compete with teams in larger cities for some time. However,
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#17327762462623300-483: Is a relatively recent situation. Historically, the league was concentrated in the northeast, with no teams south of New York City or west of Chicago from 1935 until 1967. The league expanded its footprint westward in a 1967 expansion but, other than the unsuccessful Atlanta Flames , avoided the South until making a major expansion into the territory in the 1990s. Both the NBA and MLS have higher concentrations of teams in
3450-533: Is one of two NFL teams, the other being the Jacksonville Jaguars , that are the only major league franchises in their metropolitan area. Both MLB and the NFL have had two prolonged recent exceptions in which the league was absent from one of the U.S.'s ten most populous metropolitan areas; from 1972 to 2004, ninth-place Washington, D.C., had no MLB team , and from 1995 to 2016, second-place Los Angeles had no NFL teams . The NHL's national footprint
3600-507: Is the most watched annual event on U.S. television, with Super Bowl XLIX being the single most-watched program in U.S. television history. The NFL is the only one of the "Big Four" leagues not to have a team in Canada, where the Canadian Football League ( see § Canadian Football League ) is the premier professional league in a similar gridiron football sport of Canadian football . The National Hockey League
3750-629: Is the only major league that does not have any teams in markets with fewer than 1.75 million people; both it and the NFL have teams in every U.S. market with over 4 million people. The NHL is the major league that least follows the general trend, due to the fact that a disproportionate number of its franchises are in cities with cold winters. The NHL lacks teams in a number of southern metropolitan areas with populations of over 3 million (Houston, Atlanta, San Diego) but has five teams in northern metropolitan areas with fewer than 1.25 million people, all of which are in or adjacent to Canada (the lone American team in
3900-442: Is the top-level men's professional soccer league in the United States. As of the league's 2024 season, MLS has 29 teams, with 26 in the United States and 3 in Canada, with one more U.S. team, San Diego FC , scheduled to start play in 2025. The league began play in 1996, its creation a requirement by FIFA for awarding the United States the right to host the 1994 World Cup . MLS was the first major Division I outdoor soccer league in
4050-684: Is the youngest of the major American leagues. It was founded in 1949 with the merger of the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and the National Basketball League (NBL) though it later adopted the BAA's founding date in 1946 as its own. Four teams from the rival American Basketball Association joined the NBA with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976. It currently has 30 teams, 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. The NBA
4200-531: Is watched by audiences both domestically and internationally, and as of 2022 it was the most popular league out of the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB worldwide in desktop web traffic. While the NBA is the most viewed basketball league in Canada, Canada Basketball recognizes the Canadian Elite Basketball League as the country's first-division professional league. The National Football League is a professional American football league and
4350-628: Is widely recognized as the world's premier professional ice hockey league, and is the only "Big Four" league to have been founded in Canada. It was formed in 1917 as a successor to the Canadian National Hockey Association (founded in 1909), taking all but one of the NHA's teams. The NHL partially absorbed the rival World Hockey Association in 1979. There are 32 teams, with 25 in the U.S. and 7 in Canada. The most popular sports league in Canada, and widely followed across
4500-620: The All-America Football Conference in 1949 and merged with the American Football League in 1970. It has 32 teams, all located in the United States. As of 2015 , NFL games have the largest per-game attendance among domestic professional leagues in the world, and is the most popular league in the U.S. in terms of television ratings and merchandising. Its championship game, the Super Bowl ,
4650-533: The Canadian Football League (CFL). MLB, the NBA, the NFL, and the NHL are commonly referred to as the " Big Four ". Each of these is the wealthiest professional club competition in its sport worldwide, and along with the English Premier League they make up the top five sports leagues by revenue in the world. Each of the Big Four leagues, as well as MLS and the CFL, averages at least 15,000 fans in attendance per game as of 2023 . The NFL has
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4800-648: The Carver Academy and George Gervin with the George Gervin Youth Center. The Spurs set several NBA attendance records while playing at the Alamodome including the largest crowd ever for an NBA Finals game in 1999, and the Spurs continue to sell out the smaller Frost Bank Center (formerly SBC Center and AT&T Center) on a regular basis. Since 2003, the team has been forced into an extended road trip for much of February since
4950-769: The Dallas Mavericks as they held the two best records in the Western Conference all season, battling for first place. In the end, the experience of the Spurs would be the difference as they won the Southwest Division again with a new franchise-best record of 63–19. The Spurs met the Mavericks in the second round of the playoffs, but it would be Dallas coming out on top 4–3, including a 119–111 overtime victory in Game 7. The Spurs struggled during
5100-614: The Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Toronto Argonauts , trace their origins to the late 1860s and early 1870s, which ranks them amongst the oldest professional sports teams of any kind still in existence on the continent. From 1993 to 1995, the CFL attempted expansion into the United States to cities without NFL teams, but all the clubs folded, while the management structure of the Baltimore Stallions
5250-674: The Interprovincial Rugby Football Union (which dated to 1907) and the Western Interprovincial Football Union (which was founded in 1936), and became independent from the Canadian Rugby Union in 1958. The league now consists of nine teams, all based in Canada. The Grey Cup is awarded annually to the champion every November and is the highest-attended sporting event in the nation. The oldest extant teams,
5400-527: The Las Vegas Raiders in 2020. Each of the current major leagues has franchises placed nationwide, with multiple franchises in each of the United States' four census regions —Northeast, Midwest, South, and West. Major leagues tend to place franchises only in the largest, most populated metropolitan areas. Most major league teams are in metropolitan areas having populations of more than 2 million. All but 12 continental U.S. metropolitan areas with
5550-518: The Lubbock Municipal Coliseum , but this proved a failure and the team returned full-time to Dallas in time for the 1971–72 season , splitting their games at Moody Coliseum and Dallas Convention Center Arena . While the Chaparrals had been modestly successful on the court, they were sinking financially by their third season. The financial difficulties were largely caused by the ownership group's refusal to invest much money on
5700-620: The National Association of Professional Base Ball Players , the Ohio League , and the National Hockey Association formed the basis of the modern MLB, NFL, and NHL, respectively. Basketball was invented in 1891, and its first professional league formed in the 1920s. The Basketball Association of America , founded in 1946, formed the basis of the NBA in 1949 and has lasted for over 75 years. Soccer
5850-618: The National League (founded in 1876) and the American League (founded in 1901). With the establishment of the American League in 1901 also came the trademarking of "Major League Baseball". Cooperation between the two leagues began in 1903 inasmuch as the two league champions began playing a " World Series ". In 1904, however, there was no World Series played because one of the league champions refused to play. During
6000-513: The New York Yankees ) may even partially or fully own the cable network upon which their games are broadcast, and often receive more revenue from local broadcasts than any other source. NFL teams, which generally play once per week, do not negotiate local broadcast contracts, but are allowed to negotiate their own television deals for preseason games with syndication and broadcast stations. The current MLS broadcast deals took effect with
6150-704: The San Antonio River Walk . The San Antonio Spurs started out as the Dallas Chaparrals of the original version of the American Basketball Association (ABA). Coached by player/coach Cliff Hagan , the Dallas Chaparrals were one of 11 teams to take the floor in the inaugural season of the upstart ABA. The Chaps' second season was a bit of a disappointment, as the team finished in fourth place with
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6300-695: The Saskatchewan Roughriders , in a market not served by any other major league (the Hamilton Tiger-Cats , while having their city to themselves, are on the outskirts of both the Niagara Frontier (less than 50 miles from Buffalo) and the extended Greater Toronto Area ). The newest market any of the Big Four leagues has entered is the Las Vegas Valley , which received the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017 and
6450-522: The Spirits of St. Louis received a portion of all television profits during their NBA tenure, which amounted to approximately one-seventh of the Spurs' television profit every year. This agreement placed particular financial pressure on the Spurs and the other three surviving former ABA teams. In 2014, 38 years after the completion of the merger, the Spirits' owners reached an agreement with the NBA to end
6600-697: The United States Census Bureau as Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), California's Inland Empire is the largest without a major franchise. However, it is part of Greater Los Angeles , a region defined by the US Census as a Combined Statistical Area (CSA), and is thus part of the Los Angeles television market. The largest CSA without a major franchise is the Hampton Roads area of southeastern Virginia, spilling over into
6750-534: The Utah Jazz (as well as MLS team Real Salt Lake ), lacked another major-league team before the quasi-relocation of the Arizona Coyotes after the 2023–24 season. The NFL has one major exception. The Green Bay Packers survive in major league sports' smallest metropolitan area (300,000 population) thanks to unique nonprofit corporate ownership , proximity to the neighboring Milwaukee market (giving
6900-724: The Virginia Squires in January. The ABA tried to halt the Gervin deal, claiming it was detrimental to the league; however, a judge ruled in the Spurs' favor and Gervin made his Spurs debut on February 7, 1974. The Spurs finished their inaugural season under that banner with a 45–39 record, good for third place in the Western Division. In the playoffs, the team was defeated by the Indiana Pacers in seven games in
7050-445: The "Big Four" leagues are televised on the four largest U.S. broadcast TV networks— ABC , CBS , NBC , and Fox . They enjoy strong TV viewer ratings, and their leagues earn significant revenues from these TV contracts. All of the top four major sports leagues have had television contracts with at least one of the original "big three" U.S. broadcast television networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) since those networks' early years, indicative of
7200-414: The 1976–77 season. The Spurs and the other three ABA teams added in the merger agreed to pay the owners of two other strong ABA teams that folded instead of joining the NBA. John Y. Brown, Jr. , the owner of the Kentucky Colonels , received $ 3 million, which he used to purchase the NBA's Buffalo Braves and later the Boston Celtics , after selling star guard Louie Dampier to the Spurs. The owners of
7350-409: The 1988–89 season featured the debut of Larry Brown as the Spurs head coach who moved to San Antonio after winning the NCAA National Championship with Kansas in 1988. Although there was speculation that Robinson might choose not to sign with the Spurs and to become a free agent once his Navy commitment ended, Robinson decided in the end to come to San Antonio for the 1989–90 season . While it
7500-439: The 1996–97 season was for the Spurs, the off-season proved to be the opposite. With the third-worst record in the league, the Spurs won the NBA draft lottery, which gave them the top pick in the 1997 draft . The Spurs used their pick to select Wake Forest product and consensus All-American Tim Duncan . Paired together, the 7'1" Robinson and the 6'11" Duncan became known as the Twin Towers. The Twin Towers played together for
7650-399: The 1999–2000 season, as Bexar County voters approved increases in car rental and hotel taxes which would allow for the construction of a new arena next to the Freeman Coliseum . The Spurs finished with 58–24 records for both the 2000–01 and 2001–02 seasons but found themselves suffering playoff ousters in both seasons from the eventual NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers , getting swept from
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#17327762462627800-511: The 2001 Conference Finals and losing in five games during the second round in 2002. Entering the 2002–03 season , the team knew it would be memorable for at least two reasons, as David Robinson announced that it would be his last in the NBA and the Spurs would begin play at their new arena, the SBC Center , named after telecommunications giant SBC , whose corporate headquarters were located in San Antonio (SBC became AT&T after its acquisition of its former parent company). To mark this occasion,
7950-417: The 2022–23 season, the Spurs had the highest winning percentage among active NBA franchises. As of May 2017, the Spurs had the best winning percentage of any franchise in the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada over the previous three decades. From 1999–2000 to 2016–17, the Spurs won 50 games each season, setting a record of 18 consecutive 50-win seasons. In the 2018–19 season,
8100-459: The 2023 season. The league's primary media partner is Apple , which paid a reported $ 2.5 billion for exclusive worldwide streaming rights from 2023 to 2032. All league games are streamed on the MLS Season Pass service on Apple TV+ . English and Spanish commentary are available for all matches, and games involving Canadian teams are also available in French. Linear television rights for 2023–2026 are held by Fox Sports in both English and Spanish in
8250-422: The 2035–36 season, will be with ABC/ESPN, NBC, Peacock , and Amazon , and also covers the WNBA for its 2026–2036 seasons. It is expected to generate total annual revenues of $ 6.9 billion, with a reported split of roughly $ 6.7 billion for the NBA and $ 200 million for the WNBA. The NHL's current U.S. television deal with ABC/ESPN and Turner Sports took effect with the 2021–22 season and runs through 2027–28. While
8400-550: The Arizona Coyotes. Since 2002 expansion franchises have commanded huge entry fees, which represent the price the new team must pay to gain its share of the existing teams' often guaranteed revenue streams. The Houston Texans paid $ 700 million to join the NFL in 2002. By comparison, the Charlotte Bobcats (now the Hornets) paid $ 300 million to join the NBA. The Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Rays (originally Devil Rays) paid $ 130 million each to join MLB. The NHL's Seattle Kraken (which started play in 2021), paid $ 650 million to join
8550-417: The Frost Bank Center hosts the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo during that month. This is informally known as the "Rodeo Road Trip". The Spurs have consistently posted winning road records during this period, including an NBA-record longest single road-trip winning streak (eight games out of nine, achieved in 2003). When the Spurs have won the NBA title, the team's victory parades have been boat trips on
8700-428: The Knicks' home arena, Madison Square Garden . Duncan was named the NBA Finals MVP . The Spurs became the first former ABA team to reach and win the NBA Finals. Coming off their first NBA Championship, the Spurs were still among the best teams in the West and battling for first place in the Midwest Division during the 1999–2000 season . On March 14, the Spurs playoff spirits got a lift when Sean Elliott , who received
8850-437: The Los Angeles-based Chivas USA squad folded in 2014. MLS has had one franchise relocate, the San Jose Earthquakes , which became Houston Dynamo FC in 2006; the Earthquakes returned as an expansion club in 2008, inheriting the pre-relocation history of the original Earthquakes. All seven CFL franchises between Vancouver and Toronto have been in place since the BC Lions were founded in 1954. The league has had problems in
9000-439: The MLS regular and playoff season; the knockout U.S. Open Cup for United States teams and Canadian Championship for Canadian teams, cross-border/regional Leagues Cup and Campeones Cup and the continental CONCACAF Champions Cup and FIFA Club World Cup . The Canadian Football League is the highest level of play in Canadian football . The league was organized in 1956 as a cooperative agreement between two regional leagues,
9150-407: The NBA imposed on the incoming ABA teams, limiting their draft picks and television revenues during their early time in the merged league. They gained a new rival in the form of the Houston Rockets , who had played in Texas for five years prior to the merger. During the 1977–78 season , Gervin battled David Thompson of the Denver Nuggets all year long for the NBA scoring title. On the final day of
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#17327762462629300-452: The NBA standings. They would battle all year for the top spot in the Western Conference, as they ended the season on another strong note winning their final 11 games. However, they would fall one game short of a division title and the best record in the West, posting a record of 57–25. In the second round of the playoffs, the Spurs found themselves in another showdown with the Los Angeles Lakers. The Spurs would win Games 1 and 2 at home, but drop
9450-513: The NFL no longer share stadiums, although there are frequent examples of MLB and NFL teams sharing stadiums in the past. The NFL and MLB also play a limited number of annual games in English Premier League stadiums, and the NFL plays a limited number of annual games in stadiums of Germany's Bundesliga , and less often plays games in stadiums of Mexico's Liga MX , Brazil's Brasileirão , and Spain's La Liga . The Big Four leagues currently have 30 to 32 teams each, most of which are concentrated in
9600-412: The NHL did not announce the amount, outside reports indicated that ABC and ESPN parent company Disney was paying a total of about $ 400 million and Turner about $ 225 million annually. This $ 625 million annual contract for American rights is in addition to the $ 433 million annual fee Rogers Sportsnet pays for Canadian rights. All four major sports leagues have launched a network of their own— NBA TV in
9750-474: The Ottawa Redblacks paid C$ 7 million to join the Canadian Football League. All of the top four major leagues exhibit stability in most of their franchises . No team from the top four leagues has collapsed outright since the 1970s. The last team to contract was the NHL's Cleveland Barons in 1978, when financial pressures forced a merger with the Minnesota North Stars . MLB voted in 2001 to contract from 30 teams to 28 , but ran into opposition and never executed
9900-399: The San Francisco Bay Area until the Athletics move from Oakland to Las Vegas following the 2024 season , still has separate AL and NL teams in Chicago. Twelve American metropolitan areas have a complete set of one or more teams in each of the Big Four leagues; of these, only Detroit does not have an MLS team. MLB, more than any other major league, focuses its teams in the largest markets. MLB
10050-421: The Spurs bowed down to the home team, the Golden State Warriors, 106–98. The Spurs christened the SBC Center in style on November 1, 2002, by defeating the Toronto Raptors 91–72. The next game, the Spurs were on the road to face the winless Memphis Grizzlies . In that game, the Spurs and the Grizzlies went to overtime. In the first minutes of the OT, the Grizzlies held a 7-point lead before Tim Duncan answered
10200-435: The Spurs defeated the Suns, Lakers and Mavericks en route to facing the New Jersey Nets in the NBA Finals . The series against the Nets marked the first time two former ABA teams played each other for the NBA Championship. The Spurs won the series 4–2, giving them their second NBA Championship in franchise history. Duncan, after having been named NBA MVP, was also named Finals MVP. Coming off their second NBA Championship,
10350-433: The Spurs from 1997 to 2003. Both Robinson and Duncan were skilled offensive players, and the Twin Towers also anchored the Spurs' formidable defense. The duo helped lead the team to NBA championships in 1999 and 2003. Duncan quickly emerged as a dominant force in the NBA during the 1997–98 season , averaging 21.1 points and 11.9 rebounds per game as a power forward. He was named First Team All-NBA while winning Rookie of
10500-417: The Spurs looked forward to the 1998–99 season . Prior to the beginning of training camps, however, the NBA owners, led by commissioner David Stern , locked out the players in order to force a new collective bargaining agreement with the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA). The season was delayed for over three months until resolution on a new labor agreement was reached in January 1999. Playing
10650-550: The Spurs looked to regain the NBA crown. With the acquisition of guard Brent Barry from Seattle , the Spurs would get off to a quick start, posting a 12–3 record in November. The Spurs would stay hot through December as they established a 25–6 record entering the New Year. With the later additions of center Nazr Mohammed from New York (acquired in a midseason trade of Malik Rose ), and veteran forward Glenn Robinson from free agency , alongside regulars Bruce Bowen , Robert Horry , Tony Parker , Manu Ginóbili , and Tim Duncan ,
10800-510: The Spurs lost Games 3 and 4 by big margins as the Pistons tied the series. Faced with a third straight loss in Detroit, the Spurs would play tougher in Game 5, which would go into overtime. After going scoreless in the first half, Robert Horry hit a clutch three-point shot with nine seconds remaining to give the Spurs a dramatic 96–95 win. The series moved back to San Antonio for game six, but
10950-577: The Spurs lost to the San Diego Conquistadors despite attracting a crowd of 6,000 fans. A smothering defense was the team's trademark, as they held opponents to less than 100 points in an ABA-record 49 games. The early Spurs were led by ABA veteran James Silas , and the team grew stronger by acquiring Swen Nater (who would go on to win the Rookie of the Year award ) and George Gervin from
11100-507: The Spurs matched an NBA record for most consecutive playoff appearances with 22. The team's recent success has coincided with the tenure of current head coach Gregg Popovich and with the playing careers of Spurs icons David Robinson (1989–2003) and Tim Duncan (1997–2016). In the 2022–23 season, the Spurs celebrated the club's 50th anniversary. Spurs players are active members of the San Antonio community, and many former Spurs are still active in San Antonio, including David Robinson with
11250-601: The Spurs named Tyler Self, son of Hall of Fame coach Bill Self , as the Austin Spurs' general manager and Matt Nielsen as the head coach. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic , the team played an abbreviated 2020–21 bubble season in Orlando. Prior to the 2021–22 season , Petar Božić was named Austin's head coach after Nielsen was moved over to San Antonio as an assistant coach. Prior to the 2022–23 season, Brent Barry
11400-479: The Spurs revamped their "Fiesta Colors" logo and reverted to the familiar silver and black motif (though, during the time of the Fiesta logo, the uniform remained silver and black). This version of the Spurs was very different from the team that had won the title a few years earlier. Second-year French star Tony Parker , drafted by the Spurs in the first round of the 2001 NBA draft , was now the starting point guard for
11550-418: The Spurs to be mentioned as a potential candidate for relocation to another city. The lone bright spot during this period was the Spurs being awarded the top pick in the 1987 NBA draft through NBA draft lottery. The Spurs used this selection on United States Naval Academy standout David Robinson . Although Robinson was drafted in 1987, the Spurs would have to wait until the 1989–90 season for Robinson to be
11700-400: The Spurs were dealt by the visiting Trail Blazers their first home loss of the season. The Spurs would not get off to a flying start as they had just a 19–13 record heading into January. In January the Spurs began to gel and seemed prepped to make a run, when they embarked on their annual Rodeo Road Trip, a nine-game road trip from January 25 to February 16. However, it would be hardly a bump in
11850-475: The Spurs were unable to close out the series, setting up a deciding Game 7. In Game 7, Duncan had 25 points as the Spurs pulled away late to win their third NBA Title in seven years with an 81–74 win. Duncan was named Finals MVP , becoming the fourth player to win the MVP award three times (joining Magic Johnson , Shaquille O'Neal , and Michael Jordan ). Coming off their third NBA Championship in seven years, there
12000-649: The Spurs were unable to win any NBA championships, losing in the Western Conference playoffs to the Houston Rockets in the first round of the 1981 and the Los Angeles Lakers in four games in 1982 and in six games in the 1983 Western Finals despite getting both wins at the Forum in the 1983 series. They lost every home game in both series in 1982 and 1983 vs the Lakers as Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and co. were too strong. The Spurs did not make
12150-401: The Spurs would be near the top in the Western Conference all season, battling the Phoenix Suns for the best record in the NBA. Just as it appeared the Spurs would cruise toward the playoffs their season suddenly hit a bump in the road when Tim Duncan suffered an ankle injury. The Spurs struggled the rest of the season, finishing just 59–23. However, by the time the playoffs rolled around, Duncan
12300-478: The Spurs. The squad featured a variety of newly acquired three-point shooters, including Stephen Jackson , Danny Ferry , Bruce Bowen , Steve Kerr , Steve Smith and Argentine product Manu Ginóbili , a 1999 second-round draft choice playing in his first NBA season. The Spurs started the 2002–03 season with an 87–81 road win over the defending champions, the Los Angeles Lakers . The following game,
12450-496: The U.S. and 1 in Canada. Traditionally called the " National Pastime ", baseball was the first professional team sport in the U.S. MLB consistently draws the largest total attendance of any sports league in the world. Josh Martin of Bleacher Report described the National Basketball Association as "the best basketball league in the world" in a 2012 power ranking of international leagues, and it
12600-924: The U.S. in 1999 and in Canada in 2001, the NFL Network in 2003, the NHL Network in Canada in 2001 and in the U.S. in 2007, and the MLB Network in 2009. All networks remain in operation today except for the Canadian NHL Network, which was shut down shortly before the league's 2015–16 season. Teams in MLB, the NBA, and the NHL—which play several days per week—negotiate contracts with local broadcasters to air most of their games, both terrestrial networks and regional sports networks . Some teams (such as
12750-839: The U.S. since the North American Soccer League (NASL) operated from 1968 to 1984. MLS has increased in popularity following the adoption of the Designated Player Rule in 2007, which allowed MLS to sign stars such as David Beckham (from whom the rule took its colloquial name 'the Beckham rule'), Thierry Henry , and Lionel Messi . In 2017, MLS reported an average attendance of 22,112 per game, with total attendance exceeding 8.2 million overall, both breaking previous MLS attendance records, while 2018 saw Atlanta United FC break multiple single-game attendance records, with crowd figures of over 70,000 among
12900-788: The US, and the English-language TSN and French-language RDS in Canada. Before the Apple TV+ deal, MLS matches were shown in English on ESPN and Fox Sports, and in Spanish on Univision. MLS's eight-year contracts for U.S. rights for the 2015–2022 seasons earned a combined $ 105 million annually. The CFL's current television deal with TSN pays the league at least $ 50 million per year until 2026. Its American broadcast contract with CBS Sports Network pays $ 1 million per year for 34 of
13050-740: The Washington Bullets, the Boston Celtics , the Houston Rockets, and the Los Angeles Lakers . As the 1980s progressed, the Spurs would see their shares of highs and lows. For the first few seasons of the decade, the Spurs continued their success of the 1970s with records of 52–30 in 1980–81 (in that season, the Spurs were moved to the Midwest Division of the Western Conference), 48–34 in 1981–82 , and 53–29 in 1982–83 . Despite their regular-season success,
13200-473: The Year honors. The team ended up at 56–26, breaking their own record from 1989 to 1990 for the biggest single-season improvement for wins, but once again lost to the Jazz in the Western Conference semi-finals. While both Duncan and Robinson played low-post roles, the two seamlessly meshed on the court. With a healthy Robinson and Duncan and the additions of playoff veterans such as Mario Elie and Jerome Kersey ,
13350-428: The addition of Minnesota United FC in 2017 and Inter Miami CF in 2020, along with the departure of the NHL's Arizona Coyotes from Phoenix in 2024, MLS has a team in every market with a complete set of teams in each of the Big Four major leagues except Detroit. The CFL had a total of six teams in the United States over a three-year period between 1993 and 1995, all in medium-sized markets that lacked an NFL team at
13500-527: The addition of another team in the same market unless the current team's owners consent, to avoid competition for ticket sales and televesion rights. Agreements to share are market are generally obtained in exchange for compensation, residual rights, or both. For example, to obtain the consent of the Baltimore Orioles to place an MLB team in Washington (about 35 miles (56 km) away), a deal
13650-411: The average attendance of all professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada that have an average attendance of 15,000 or higher. Major-league franchises are generally worth very large amounts of money, due in large part to high revenues earned by the league's teams. These franchise valuations are reflected in periodic analyses of teams' values, as well as by the expansion fees commanded by
13800-465: The best in franchise history. They also jumped all the way to first place in the Midwest Division, their first division title in seven years. Robinson had one of the most successful rookie seasons for a center in NBA history, finishing the season as the unanimous Rookie of the Year while averaging 24.3 points and 12.0 rebounds. The Spurs began the 1990s with great optimism. The team became a perennial playoff presence, although unable to advance further than
13950-519: The city of Austin, Texas . Following the relocation, the franchise changed their name and logo becoming the Austin Toros, which was unveiled on August 10, 2005. The Toros name was the only NBA -associated team and first D-League team to possess a nickname of Spanish origin. The Toros began play during the 2005–06 season. On June 28, 2007, the Toros were acquired by the San Antonio Spurs , becoming
14100-504: The conference finals until 1995. After the 1984–85 season , Gervin, who had been the Spurs' biggest star, was traded to the Chicago Bulls in what effectively signaled the end of the era that began when the Spurs first moved to San Antonio. The next four seasons were a dark time in Spurs' history with the team having a combined record of 115–213 from 1985–86 until 1988–89 . The losing seasons and dwindling attendance often caused
14250-452: The contraction plan. Unlike leagues that use a system of promotion and relegation , franchises in these leagues are stable and do not change annually. Relocation of teams is generally uncommon compared to minor leagues. However, all of the top four major leagues have had at least one franchise relocate to another city since 2004. Among the Big Four leagues, the NFL has had the most relocations occurring recently, relocating three teams over
14400-440: The country's very high level of hockey fandom. A 2013 study by Nate Silver estimated that all of these markets had roughly the same numbers of avid hockey fans as U.S. markets with several times their total population. The Canadian Football League has teams in all seven current NHL markets, in addition to Hamilton, Ontario , and Regina, Saskatchewan . At least eight of these nine markets have hosted CFL teams every year since
14550-578: The course of the late 2010s. The NHL is the most recent of the Big Four to expand, having added the Las Vegas-based Vegas Golden Knights in 2017 and the Seattle Kraken in 2021. None of the other Big Four leagues have added expansion teams since 2004. In the fifty years between 1903 and 1953, MLB experienced no franchise changes—no new franchises, no franchises ceasing operations, and no franchises moving—marking
14700-689: The first European-born player to win the award . Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada traditionally include four leagues: Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), the National Football League (NFL), and the National Hockey League (NHL). Other prominent leagues include Major League Soccer (MLS) and
14850-481: The first half of the 2006–07 season , which led to discussions of trading away veteran players to build for the future. The team remained intact, and the Spurs would win 13 games in a row during February and March, and were an NBA-best 25–6 in the final 31 games, as the Spurs were able to claim the 3-seed in the West. The Spurs cruised through the first round, while the first-seeded Dallas Mavericks were upset. This set up
15000-508: The first round. San Antonio embraced the Spurs with open arms; the Spurs drew 6,303 fans per game, surpassing the Chaparrals' entire total attendance in only 18 games. Drossos, Schaefer and McCombs knew a runaway hit when they saw it. After only one year, they exercised their option to tear up the lease agreement, buy the franchise outright and keep the team in San Antonio for good. The team quickly made themselves at home at HemisFair Arena, playing to increasingly large and raucous crowds. Despite
15150-420: The highest team attendances worldwide. With a total attendance of nearly 11 million and an average of over 22,000, MLS has the fifth-largest and third-largest, total and average attendances respectively, among the sports league in U.S. and Canada ( see § Attendance ), had the seventh-highest attendance among global professional soccer leagues. The Canadian Soccer Association does not sanction MLS as
15300-511: The largest TV contracts, and earns roughly $ 9 billion annually from its contracts with Amazon , CBS, ESPN, Fox, NBC, and DirecTV for the 2023 through 2033 seasons. MLB earns $ 1.5 billion annually from its contracts for the 2014 through 2021 seasons with ESPN, Fox, and Turner Sports (TBS). The NBA's nine-year television deal beginning with the 2016–17 season with ABC/ESPN and TNT generates annual league TV revenues of $ 2.7 billion. The NBA's next TV deal, set to take effect in 2025–26 and run through
15450-558: The largest stadiums on average in the world, ranging in capacity from just under 60,000 to almost 100,000 spectators, while MLB ballparks generally hold between 30,000 and 50,000 fans. Venues used primarily by MLS and CFL vary more widely in capacity, from about 20,000 to about 60,000. The two indoor leagues, the NHL and NBA, play mostly in arenas that hold 18,000 to 20,000 seats. There is a significant number of multi-purpose venues that host events in both NFL and MLS (5), CFL and MLS (2), MLB and MLS (1), and NBA and NHL (10). Teams in MLB and
15600-419: The last three games and came from behind to win the seventh game 107–105 handing the Spurs a heartbreaking loss. The Spurs would have to wait another 20 years to make it to their first NBA Finals. The Spurs would go on to capture five division titles in their first seven years in the NBA and became a perennial playoff participant. However, in the playoffs, the Spurs could never catch a break, losing to teams like
15750-422: The league's 81 games; prior to its deal with CBS Sports Network, the CFL had bundled its TSN rights with ESPN (a minority owner of TSN), who contributed a negligible $ 100,000 to the annual rights fees. The remainder of the CFL's games are carried online in the United States for free. Major professional sports leagues generally have significantly larger attendance than other sports leagues. The following table shows
15900-627: The league's officially listed inception in 1958, and no other Canadian market has ever had a CFL team of its own. A conditional expansion franchise was awarded to the Atlantic Schooners in 1982; it folded before ever playing a game. Another bid for a Schooners franchise by Schooners Sports and Entertainment in the late 2010s also failed. The first Major League Baseball team in Canada was the Montreal Expos , who began play in 1969. In 2005, they moved to Washington, D.C., and became
16050-575: The league, a 30% increase from the $ 500 million paid by the Vegas Golden Knights to join the league in 2017. The Golden Knights' fee was a dramatic increase from the $ 80 million paid by each of the previous two teams to enter the NHL, the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild. Two of the six most recently announced Major League Soccer expansion teams, 2019 entrant FC Cincinnati and 2020 arrival Nashville SC , each paid
16200-423: The league, and quality of play. The following table compares the Big Four leagues, plus the CFL and MLS, on certain attributes that collectively attempt to indicate whether the league has "major league" status. The table includes the longevity and stability of the league, as measured by the number of teams in the league, the year founded, the last time the league underwent contraction, expansion, and relocation, and
16350-501: The leagues. The highest value franchises in the respective leagues tend to be located in the largest markets (e.g., MLB's New York Yankees , NHL's New York Rangers ), whereas the lowest value franchises tend to be in smaller markets (e.g., NFL's Buffalo Bills , NBA's New Orleans Pelicans ). The NHL has the largest multiples between the highest-value and lowest-value teams, with the New York Rangers worth 5.5 times as much as
16500-648: The longest such period of stability of any Big Four league. In contrast to the Big Four leagues, MLS has operated on a policy of continuous expansion since 2005. After bottoming out at 10 teams in 2004, it has never gone more than one season without adding one or two expansion teams, with a further expansion team scheduled for 2025 and no indication that the league will cease awarding expansion teams. As of 2023 , MLS nearly tripled in size from its 2005 minimum, with 29 teams. The league has contracted three teams in its history: teams in Miami and Tampa Bay folded in 2002, and
16650-406: The most important off-season acquisition would be the signing of veteran Robert Horry . The Spurs, playing with nine new players, struggled early as they missed the presence of Robinson while the new players struggled to fit in, as they held a 9–10 record on December 3. However, the Spurs would turn it around, as they ended December on a 13-game winning streak and quickly climbed back to the top of
16800-548: The most populous metropolitan areas of the United States and Canada. Unlike the promotion and relegation systems used in sports leagues in various other regions around the world, North American sports leagues are closed leagues that maintain the same teams from season-to-season. Expansion of the league usually occurs by adding newly formed teams, though mergers with competing leagues have also occurred. Baseball , American football , and ice hockey have had professional leagues continuously for over 100 years; early leagues such as
16950-467: The next two in Los Angeles. In Game 5 back in San Antonio, Duncan seemingly delivered the Spurs a 73–72 win as he hit a dramatic shot with just 0.4 seconds remaining. However, the Lakers' Derek Fisher would launch a game-winner as time expired, giving the Lakers a stunning 74–73 win to take a 3–2 series lead. Demoralized the Spurs would head back to Los Angeles where they would lose the series in six games. After their disappointing second-round collapse,
17100-437: The northern and northeastern U.S., the NHL has expanded westward and southward in recent decades to attempt to gain a more national following in the United States, in cities such as Denver , San Jose , Dallas , Miami , Nashville , Salt Lake City , Raleigh , Tampa , Las Vegas , and Seattle with varying success. The NHL has more Canadian teams (seven) than MLB, the NBA, and MLS combined (five). Major League Soccer (MLS)
17250-499: The offseason, the owners of each league voted to have the league champions automatically play one another in the World Series and it was 90 years until another World Series was not played, in 1994, due to a work stoppage. The two leagues merged on an organizational level in 2000 with the elimination of separate league offices; they have shared a single Commissioner since 1920. There are currently 30 member teams, with 29 located in
17400-495: The perpetual payments and take a lump sum of $ 500 million instead. Although there was some initial skepticism in league circles regarding the potential success and talent levels of the incoming ABA teams, the Spurs would prove worthy of NBA inclusion during the 1976–77 season with a record of 44–38, good for a tie for fourth place overall in the Eastern Conference. This was done in spite of significant handicaps
17550-502: The playoffs, which led to the immediate firing of Lucas as head coach. Prior to the season, the Spurs traded fan-favorite Elliott to the Detroit Pistons in return for rebounding star Dennis Rodman . Elliott returned to the Spurs at the following year. Lucas was replaced by former Pacers coach Bob Hill for the 1994–95 season . On their first game of the season, they were defeated by the visiting Golden State Warriors despite
17700-444: The popularity of the league, as measured by annual revenue and average attendance. The "Big Four" leagues each have revenues that can be many times greater than the payrolls of less popular sports leagues in the two nations. In terms of overall league revenue, the NFL, MLB, and NBA rank as the top three most lucrative sports leagues in the world, with the English Premier League and the NHL ranked at fourth and fifth place. Games of
17850-659: The retirement of David Robinson left a void in San Antonio's daunting defense, while playoff hero Steve Kerr and veteran forward Danny Ferry also retired. Meanwhile, backup point guard Speedy Claxton left for the Golden State Warriors , and Stephen Jackson left for the Atlanta Hawks . With several holes to fill in their rotation, the Spurs would make several key signings in the off-season. Rasho Nesterović and Hedo Türkoğlu were brought in to replace Robinson and Jackson, respectively. What proved to be
18000-403: The road for the charging Spurs, who won eight of the nine and began to climb their way to first place. The Spurs went on to erase their seven-game deficit and finished the season in a tie with the Dallas Mavericks for the best record in the NBA (60–22). Thanks to a tiebreaker, the Spurs won their third straight Division title as Tim Duncan claimed his second straight NBA MVP. In the playoffs ,
18150-489: The run with a 9-point run by himself. With a tied score of 111–111 with 0.8 seconds remaining, Duncan made a 12-foot jumpshot to defeat the Grizzlies. The following game, the Spurs were down by three points at halftime against the visiting Warriors, but then scored 31 points in the third quarter to put the game away, clinching their fourth win of the season. Tony Parker led the Spurs after scoring 21 points. Three days after,
18300-603: The scoring title. While Gervin was lighting up the scoreboard the Spurs were winning the Central Division with a 52–30 record. However, in the playoffs, the Spurs would be stunned in six games by the Washington Bullets despite an outstanding series from Gervin who averaged 33.2 points per game. The following season in the 1979 Conference Finals the Spurs led the series 3–1 but the Bullets came back to win
18450-577: The season with a 51–33 record and finished in second place in the West. In the playoffs, the Spurs fell to the Pacers in six games. Even though playoff success would elude the team before the merger, the Spurs had suddenly found themselves among the best teams in the ABA. Moreover, their gaudy attendance figures made them very attractive to the NBA, even though San Antonio, then as now, was a medium-sized market. Although San Antonio proper had over 650,000 people at
18600-472: The season, Thompson took the lead by scoring 73 points in an afternoon game against the Detroit Pistons . That night Gervin knew that he needed 58 points against the Jazz in New Orleans. Gervin got off to a good start by scoring 20 points in the first quarter. In the second, Gervin set a single period record with 33 points. Early on in the third period, Gervin scored his 58 points on the way to 63 capturing
18750-760: The second D-League team to be owned by an NBA team, after the Los Angeles D-Fenders were purchased by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2006. On August 9, 2010, the Toros announced they would move to the Cedar Park Center from the Austin Convention Center and for the 2010–11 season. On April 28, 2012, the Toros defeated the Los Angeles D-Fenders in Game 3 of the NBA D-League Finals to capture their first championship in franchise history. On October 15, 2014,
18900-453: The second round of the NBA playoffs under Brown's tutelage. Midway through the 1991–92 season , McCombs fired Brown and replaced him with Bob Bass for the remainder of the season. Without a healthy David Robinson, the Spurs were swept out of the first round of the playoffs by the Phoenix Suns. McCombs made national headlines during the summer of 1992 with the hiring of former UNLV head coach Jerry Tarkanian . The Tarkanian experiment proved
19050-590: The second-round series against the Suns was the true NBA Finals would be proven right, as the Spurs easily dispatched the Utah Jazz in five games to reach the NBA Finals . In the Finals, the Spurs swept the Cleveland Cavaliers and captured their fourth title in nine years. Tony Parker , who dominated in the Finals averaging 24.5 points per game on 57 percent shooting, was named Finals MVP and became
19200-489: The sports' widespread appeal since their inception, continuing today additionally with Fox. In Canada, the NHL has been broadcast on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation since 1952. In Canada, there is only one MLB team and one NBA team, and no Canadian NFL team exists; therefore, the U.S. national telecasts for those three leagues are usually simulcast by a Canadian broadcaster. The NFL has
19350-462: The team announced that they would be changing their name to the Austin Spurs, in reference to their parent team. On April 10, 2018, the Spurs defeated Raptors 905 to secure their second G League championship. In 2019, the Spurs played in the 2019 FIBA Intercontinental Cup in Rio de Janeiro , as the first G League team to play in the tournament . Austin lost in the semi-final to Flamengo . In 2020,
19500-556: The team did not win at least 50 games in a season, a feat that extended through the 2016–17 season. The team was just as dominant in the playoffs, rolling through the Western Conference with a record of 11–1. In the NBA Finals , they faced the New York Knicks , who had made history by becoming the first eighth seed to ever make the NBA Finals. The Spurs won the series 4-1 and the franchise's first NBA Championship in Game 5 at
19650-532: The team for three years with an option to purchase. After the deal was signed, the team was renamed the San Antonio Gunslingers. However, before they even played a game, the name was changed to Spurs. The team's primary colors were changed from the red, white, and blue of the Chaparrals to the now-familiar black, silver and white motif of the Spurs, with the branding taking effect for the 1973–74 season . In their first game at HemisFair Arena ,
19800-412: The team to a 39–22 finish over the rest of the regular season, and the team reached the Western Conference semi-finals. In 1993, local businessman Peter M. Holt and a group of 22 investors purchased the Spurs from Red McCombs for $ 75 million. In the 1993–94 season, the Spurs' first in the newly built Alamodome , Lucas led the team to a 55–27 record but the team suffered a loss in the first round of
19950-454: The team. After missing the playoffs for the first time in their existence in the 1972–73 season , nearly all of the owners wanted out. The team decided to sell the team to a different city, and the Chaparrals had to choose between San Antonio and El Paso . A group of 35 San Antonio businessmen—led by Angelo Drossos , John Schaefer, and Red McCombs —worked out a "lend-lease" deal with the Dallas ownership group. Drossos and his group would lease
20100-727: The teams in Winnipeg and Quebec City were eventually moved to larger media markets in the U.S. The NHL returned to Winnipeg in 2011 with the Atlanta Thrashers relocating to become the current version of the Winnipeg Jets . Excluding the CFL, the NHL is the only major league to have teams in Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg or Ottawa, all markets with populations of less than 1.25 million, smaller than any U.S. NHL market except Buffalo. However, those Canadian cities benefit from
20250-463: The time (and has since grown to become the seventh-largest city in the United States ), the surrounding suburban and rural areas have never been much larger than the city itself. In June 1976, the ABA–NBA merger took place, moving San Antonio's sole professional sports franchise into a new league. The Spurs, the Denver Nuggets , the Indiana Pacers and the New York Nets joined the NBA for
20400-444: The time. Of the seven markets those teams occupied, three (Baltimore, San Antonio and Sacramento) had other major league franchises at the time, and two later received a major team (Memphis and Las Vegas). The league also played occasional games in the United States in the 1950s and 1960s. The largest metropolitan area without a major professional sports franchise depends on the definition of "metropolitan area". Among areas defined by
20550-534: The two markets east of Toronto; both Montreal and Ottawa have each seen two CFL teams fail since the 1980s, although both cities have active teams as of the 2014 season. The cities are now represented by the Alouettes and Redblacks , respectively. Among existing teams, none has ever formally relocated from one city to another; the Alouettes, however, inherited a management structure from the Baltimore Stallions ,
20700-429: The western United States than the other major leagues. Whereas the NBA's teams tend to be somewhat more evenly distributed across the United States, MLS's presence in areas of the southern United States has historically been sparse; after MLS folded its two Florida-based teams after the 2001 season, it did not re-enter the South until Orlando City SC joined the league in 2015, with Atlanta United FC following in 2017. With
20850-438: The worst in franchise history—and the last time they missed the playoffs until the 2019–20 season. Hill only lasted 18 games as coach that season, eventually being fired and replaced by general manager Gregg Popovich , who had also served a stint under Brown as an assistant coach. Wilkins would play his lone season in 1996–97 for San Antonio, knowing his minutes and playing time would greatly diminish next season. As disastrous as
21000-548: The year 2000. Major League Soccer has 29 teams; it adopted a policy of continuous expansion at a rate of one to two new franchises a year since 2005,and was set to reach its long-range target of 30 teams in 2023 before the Sacramento expansion bid collapsed. A 30th team in San Diego is set to join in 2025. The CFL has nine franchises. All of the top four major leagues grant territorial exclusivity to their owners, precluding
21150-483: Was a sense that the Spurs were the class of the NBA, and once again would be the team to beat in the NBA for the Championship. For the 2005–06 season , the Spurs acquired the two-time All-Star Michael Finley and one-time All Star Nick Van Exel . Not surprisingly, the Spurs would come flying out of the gate, winning 16 of their first 19 games. Once again, the Spurs would get challenged within their own division by
21300-474: Was first professionalized in 1894, with past U.S.-based leagues including the American Soccer League (1921–1933) (ASL) and original North American Soccer League (1968–1984) (NASL). Major League Soccer (MLS) was established in 1996. Major League Baseball is the highest level of play of baseball in the United States and Canada. and the oldest of the major American leagues. It consists of
21450-566: Was founded in 1920 as a combination of various teams from regional leagues such as the Ohio League , the New York Pro Football League , and the Chicago circuit as a successor to Western Pennsylvania Professional Football Circuit . For its first two seasons, 1920 and 1921, it was known as the "American Professional Football Association" (APFA) before changing its name to the current name in 1922. The NFL partially absorbed
21600-417: Was moved to a relaunched Montreal Alouettes franchise. By 2009 the CFL was the second-most-popular league in Canada, after the NHL. A 2023 study shows that interest in the CFL had dropped over the previous 10 years. The CFL has the fourth-highest average attendance of leagues in the United States and Canada, behind the NFL, MLB and MLS. As of 2024 , the CFL's average attendance number was 22,795, continuing
21750-490: Was named All-NBA Third Team for the Spurs that season. The Spurs finished the 1995–96 season under Hill at 59–23 and lost in the Western Conference semi-finals. Few observers could have predicted how far the Spurs would fall during the 1996–97 season , especially with the signing of Dominique Wilkins . Robinson missed the first month of the season due to a back injury. He returned in December, but played only six games before
21900-486: Was named Austin Spurs' general manager. Roster Last transaction: November 18, 2024 Champions Runners-up Third place Fourth place San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio . The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as
22050-632: Was named the league's Most Valuable Player. The Spurs reached the Western Conference Finals, but lost to the eventual NBA Champion Houston Rockets . Throughout the season, and particularly in the playoffs, there appeared to be friction developing between Rodman and several Spurs' teammates, most notably Robinson. Rodman was traded to the Chicago Bulls after the season, and helped the Bulls win three titles from 1996 to 1998. Rodman
22200-495: Was ready to return. In the postseason , The Spurs went through the West relatively easily, culminating with a 5-game victory in the Conference Finals over the Phoenix Suns . In the NBA Finals , the Spurs would face the defending champion Detroit Pistons . The first two games in San Antonio were both Spurs' victories as Ginóbili led the way with 26 and 27 points respectively. However, as the series shifted to Detroit,
22350-561: Was struck under the terms of which television and radio broadcast rights to Nationals games are handled by the Orioles franchise. As of 2022 , 49 metropolitan areas (42 in the U.S., seven in Canada) have at least one team in the Big Four leagues. Austin FC , which started play in 2021, is the first and only MLS team in a market not also occupied by at least one Big Four team. The CFL has one team,
22500-475: Was thought that Robinson's arrival would make the Spurs respectable again, no one expected what happened in his rookie season. Led by Robinson, 1989 draftee Sean Elliott from Arizona , and trade acquisition Terry Cummings from the Milwaukee Bucks, the Spurs achieved the biggest one-season turnaround in NBA history, finishing with a record of 56–26–vaulting from the worst record in franchise history to
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