AUSTIN, Texas – With the Spurs playing back-to-back games at the Moody Center in Austin this week, fans in San Antonio are fearful this is the beginning of the end for the club in the Alamo City.
On Thursday before the Spurs hosted the Trail Blazers in Austin, Spurs CEO R.C. Buford met with the media and addressed that concern.
“We’ve got partnerships with great partners in Bexar County at the AT&T Center that we want to continue to honor. But San Antonio is home,” Buford said.
On Wednesday, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich stoked the fire by saying the Spurs plan to play more regular season games in Austin as the franchise plans to expand its footprint throughout Central Texas. Of course, this made plenty of diehard fans more nervous that the Spurs may leave in the future. Buford said that’s not the case.
“Well, first of all, I think we from the whole family, from Peter J. Holt, the commitment is there and continues to be there, will always be there to San Antonio,” Buford said. “I think if you’ve gone out to see our new Human Performance Campus at the Rock at La Cantera, that is a financial commitment and an emotional commitment to our community. That is our home and what we hope to bring to the impact of it throughout our communities. We continue to be engaged in so many places. I don’t know how we can say any stronger. San Antonio is home.”
The players told the media they like Austin and they dig the Moody Center, causing more angst among Spurs’ fans.
“I think we’re going to learn, test and learn as we go along,” Buford told the media. “I think clearly our region is the fastest growing region in North America. And if you really take Mexico, to San Antonio, to Austin and all the places in between, we’ve got fans in a lot of different places. So, we’re going to enjoy celebrating the 50th anniversary and see what we learn here.”
Burford made it clear the Spurs are not leaving San Antonio and that playing home games in Austin and Mexico City is truly for their fans.
“We’ve been back and forth to Mexico over the last decade, almost a decade. So, this is another opportunity for us to continue to grow our brand, to continue to meet our fans and listen to them and learn in the communities that are important to us,” Buford said.