ESPN REPORT: The head coach of San Antonio Spurs is fired because of…
Based in San Antonio, the San Antonio Spurs are a professional basketball team in the United States. The Spurs are a member of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference and play in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team’s home arena is San Antonio’s Frost Bank Center.
The Spurs are one of four teams from the American Basketball Association (ABA) that are still in the NBA following the ABA-NBA merger in 1976. They are also one of only two teams from the ABA (the other being the Denver Nuggets) that have won multiple NBA championships.[11] The team has captured NBA titles in the years 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014.[12] Among NBA teams still in operation as of the 2022–2023 season, the Spurs had the greatest winning %.[13] In the main professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada, as of May 2017, the Spurs had the greatest winning percentage of any team during the preceding thirty years.[14] The Spurs won 50 games per season from 1999–2000 to 2016–17,[15] setting a record with 18 straight 50-win seasons.[16] The Spurs tied an NBA record with 22 straight postseason appearances during the 2018–19 campaign.[17] The team’s recent success has aligned with head coach Gregg Popovich’s reign.[12][18] as well as with the playing careers of Tim Duncan (1997–2016) and Spurs legend David Robinson (1989–2003). The Spurs commemorated the club’s 50th anniversary during the 2022–2023 campaign.
The San Antonio Spurs
Players for the Spurs are involved in the community, and several previous players are still involved in San Antonio, like as George Gervin with the George Gervin Youth Center and David Robinson with the Carver Academy[19].[20]
The Spurs regularly sell out the smaller Frost Bank Center (previously SBC Center and AT&T Center), setting multiple NBA attendance records while playing at the Alamodome, including the highest crowd for an NBA Finals game ever in 1999 [21].
Since 2003, the team’s February schedule has consisted mostly of an extended road trip because the Frost Bank Center is home to the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo that month. We call this the “Rodeo Road Trip” unofficially.[22] During this time, the Spurs have routinely set winning road records. In 2003, they accomplished an NBA record by winning nine games in a row on a road trip.[23]
The Spurs have taken to the San Antonio River Walk on boats for their victory parades after winning NBA titles.[24][25][26]
History of the franchise 1967–1973: Originally known as the Dallas/Texas Chaparrals
primary article The Dallas Chaparrals
In the early years of the American Basketball Association (ABA), the San Antonio Spurs were known as the Dallas Chaparrals. The Dallas Chaparrals, led by player/coach Cliff Hagan, were one of 11 teams to play in the ABA’s first-ever season. The Chaps’ 41–37 record and fourth-place finish in the standings made for a somewhat disappointing second season. The New Orleans Buccaneers swiftly defeated the Chaparrals in the playoffs.[27]
The squad struggled with low attendance and an overall lack of enthusiasm for Dallas. In fact, the team was renamed “Texas” during the 1970–71 season instead of “Dallas” in an attempt to become a regional one. Games were played in Lubbock at the Lubbock Municipal Coliseum and Fort Worth at the Tarrant County Convention Center. However, this move backfired, and the team moved back to Dallas full-time for the 1971–72 season, splitting games between Moody Coliseum and Dallas Convention Center Arena.[28]
1973–1976: San Antonio relocation
The Chaparrals had experienced some success on the court, but by their third season, their finances were collapsing. Much of the financial problems stemmed from the ownership group’s unwillingness to make significant financial commitments to the team. When the team missed the playoffs in 1972–73, its first season out of existence, almost every owner wanted out. The Chaparrals had to select between San Antonio and El Paso as the team chose to sell the team to a new city.[29] Under the direction of Red McCombs, John Schaefer, and Angelo Drossos, a group of thirty-five San Antonio businessmen negotiated a “lend-lease” agreement with the Dallas ownership group. The squad would be leased by Drossos and his company for three years, with the option to buy. They could relocate the franchise to San Antonio right away, but they had to bring it back to Dallas by 1975 if no deal was made.[Reference required]
The name of the team comes from a metal device called a spur, which is put on the heels of cowboy boots to direct and regulate a horse’s movement.
The team was dubbed the San Antonio Gunslingers after the agreement was signed.[30] But the name was changed to Spurs before they had played a game. With the start of the 1973–74 season, the team’s primary colors were changed from the Chaparrals’ red, white, and blue to the Spurs’ now-familiar black, silver, and white motif.[31] Despite drawing 6,000 spectators, the Spurs fell short against the San Diego Conquistadors in their debut game at HemisFair Arena. The squad was known for its stifling defense, holding opponents to less than 100 points in 49 games—an ABA record. James Silas, an ABA veteran, captained the Spurs in their early years. In January, the team added Swen Nater, who would go on to win Rookie of the Year, and George Gervin, who was acquired from the Virginia Squires. The ABA attempted to block the Gervin trade, saying it would be bad for the league; nevertheless, a judge decided in favor of the Spurs, and on February 7, 1974, Gervin made his Spurs debut. With a 45–39 record at the end of their first season playing under that name, the Spurs placed third in the Western Division. The Indiana Pacers defeated the club in seven games during the first round of the playoffs. The Spurs were welcomed with warm arms by San Antonio; in just 18 games, their average attendance of 6,303 fans surpassed that of the Chaparrals. It was obvious to Drossos, Schaefer, and McCombs when they saw a runaway hit. They used their right to rip up the lease, purchase the team entirely, and permanently relocate the team to San Antonio after just one season.[32]
The team rapidly established themselves at HemisFair Arena, drawing increasingly sizable and boisterous audiences.
