The Spurs are targeting Austin to expand its fan base to keep thriving in San Antonio.
SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Spurs will be playing two regular-season games in Austin, Texas to close out the 2022-23 season and franchise great Manu Ginobili, he is hoping it will cement a tighter bond moving forward.
“It’s good to connect with people in Austin,” Ginobili said. “I started to come more often. I’m having fun with the growth of the city and all that is happening.”
Ginobili was the guest of honor at a recent Austin Spurs game at the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park, Texas.
Fans were able to chat with him pre-game and get a bobblehead in his likeness. Many fans spoke with him about past games, got his autograph, reminisced about the Spurs title teams he was a part of, and of course, had a laugh about his infamous bat-swatting night.
“I get a lot of love from Spurs fans all over the country, not only in San Antonio or in Austin,” he said.
The Spurs are taking huge steps into cultivating the fan base across the South Texas corridor.
Efforts are being made to expand the team’s footprint not only to expand in Texas but also in Mexico City and in Laredo, Texas where the Austin Spurs held a regular season game for the fans.
“We are grateful for our loyal supporters throughout our entire region and are thrilled for the opportunity to play in front of them as part of our 50th anniversary season,” Spurs’ RC Buford said.
Make no mistake, the Spurs are committed to San Antonio but Austin factors heavily in sustaining the franchise.
Austin, San Antonio, and the cities in between are quickly merging into one massive corridor the Spurs can tap into and already have.
Michael Dell of Dell Technologies based in Austin is a part owner of the Spurs, Austin-based Self Financial is the team’s jersey patch sponsor and Austin’s Airbnb co-founder is a part owner of the team.
Think of it as the Spurs making an investment in Austin to keep the franchise thriving in San Antonio.
“It is increasing now in the last few years. Our corridor (Austin and San Antonio) is growing enormously,” Ginobili said.
The Spurs will be at Austin’s Moody Center on April 6 and 8 for games versus the Trail Blazers and Timberwolves.
It will open the Spurs to the Austin fan base and Ginobili is excited for the NBA to play in San Antonio’s neighbor up north.
“Hopefully, it creates a buzz, and people get more connected with the team of the region. I’ll be here,” Ginobili said. “I’m very excited to play at the Moody Center and see Austin supporting the team.”
There will be plenty in store for the pair of games in Austin and tickets are still available for fans.
Ginobili says the Spurs players will be active in the Austin community and he is all in on expanding the Silver and Black’s fan base which will have a positive ripple effect across the corridor and especially in San Antonio.
“We’re going to be doing appearances and trying to get the team out there to connect with the city and the fans here. It’s going to be fun,” said Ginobili. “We got a young team that is willing to get to know our fans and the [Austin] community. I’ll be here supporting it.”
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