More than 7,000 miles from San Antonio, Korean Spurs fans are losing sleep, changing schedules and still predicting one thing: Spurs in 5.
SAN ANTONIO — While Spurs fans in San Antonio settled in to watch Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night, a dedicated group of supporters more than 7,000 miles away tuned in Thursday morning.
Game 1 tipped off at 7:30 p.m. in San Antonio. In South Korea, it started at 9:30 a.m.
For members of a roughly 200-person Korean Spurs fan community, following San Antonio’s Finals run means adjusting work schedules, sacrificing sleep and waking up before sunrise — all for the Silver and Black.
KENS 5 first introduced viewers to the group (@saspurskorea on Instagram) during the second round of the playoffs. Now, with the Spurs facing the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals, the excitement has only intensified.
“I thought it would be really hard to beat OKC on the road in Game 7, so making it to the Finals feels even more incredible than expected,” said Taesung Kwon. “But today I feel a little blue [after the loss].”
The interviews took place at about 11 p.m. in South Korea, long after most of the fans had finished work or school for the day.
The conversations were made possible with the help of Tami Kang, a San Antonio resident who translated between English and Korean during the interviews.
Kang is also part of the fan community, which includes more than 200 Spurs supporters spread throughout South Korea.
The group is led by Dongwook Kwon, a student at Yonsei University — one of South Korea’s most prestigious universities. Taesung Kwon serves as the group’s deputy leader.
Members of the chat have become close through their shared love of the Spurs. Some name their babies after Spurs players. Others have even traveled to San Antonio for games, sending videos of Spurs warmups and experiences from the Frost Bank Center back to fellow fans in Korea.
Many have spent weeks preparing for the Finals schedule.
“A lot of people in our group chat either finish work early or took time off,” Taesung Kwon said. “Everyone has been preparing since the Conference Finals because of the time difference.”
The Finals also coincide with the spring semester in South Korea, creating additional challenges for students.
“In Korea, the Finals are in a period during the Spring semester,” Dongwook Kwon said. “As a college student, I have to focus on my studies.”
His solution?
“I change my routine. I study at midnight!”
Office workers are making adjustments, too.
“I have to go to work,” said fan Chanyoung Chung, who lives in Seoul, the capital of South Korea. “Fortunately I was working from home today so I could watch the game more comfortably.”
The schedule gets even tougher when the series shifts to New York.
“Away game means earlier match in Korea,” Chung said. “If it begins in New York, it means 6 or 6:30 a.m. we have to wake up and see the game.”
Fortunately, Chung said he’s had practice.
“I have experience being an early bird and watching Major League Baseball.”
Others are squeezing Spurs fandom into whatever free time they can find.
Hyeongjin Park joined KENS 5’s interview while riding the subway home.
“In the morning, he watched the game and he worked super late until 11 and now he’s finally on his way home,” Park said through translation.
For some fans, simply reaching the Finals feels surreal.
“I’m definitely happy because Spurs made it to the Finals,” Dongwook Kwon said. “I’m trying not to get excited because they haven’t won the NBA Finals yet.”
Park became a Spurs fan only recently but feels the timing was meant to be.
“I haven’t been a Spurs fan for a long time, but I think it’s destiny to be in the Finals with me becoming a fan within a few years,” he said.
The Finals matchup itself is drawing significant attention in South Korea.
Fans believe part of the interest stems from the Knicks’ long championship drought and the number of players experiencing the Finals for the first time.
“Since most of the players are new to the Finals — Victor Wembanyama, De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns — there’s a lot of talk about how these players will perform in the NBA Finals,” Dongwook Kwon said.
Chung said the matchup also brings back memories.
“This matchup with the Knicks was 1999 and actually that is the 20th century,” he said.
Unlike many members of the group, Chung remembers that championship series.
“I’m a little older than the rest of us,” he said. “I’m back to my high school period. At that time, we beat the Knicks and that was our first championship win.”
For younger fans, however, the Knicks’ glory days are mostly ancient history.
“I wasn’t even born then,” Dongwook Kwon said.
Taesung Kwon was born in 1998, one year before that Spurs championship team defeated New York.
As a result, many younger Korean fans know the Knicks for a different reason.
“In my generation, it’s a very familiar expression: ‘Knicks lost again!'” Chung said.
He believes the contrast between the two franchises has become part of the story.
“After 1999, Spurs and Knicks have a huge contrast of history,” Chung said. “Spurs won four times more.”
Despite dropping Game 1, confidence remains high throughout the fan community.
“It was not a good result. However, it’s okay because the series is long. It’s just Game 1,” Chung said.
Kang agreed.
“We lost Game 1 against the Timberwolves and we still have a lot to go,” she said. “Game 1 loss doesn’t really mean anything.”
Taesung Kwon remains especially optimistic.
“It’s only Game 1 and we’re going to win in New York!”
In fact, many fans never expected to get this far.
“Before the season, the most optimistic prediction among us was finishing fifth and reaching the second round of the playoffs,” Taesung Kwon said. “But now we’ve come this far.”
Chung said beating strong opponents is part of what makes this run enjoyable.
“Just like when we beat OKC, it’s more fun to defeat stronger opponents,” he said. “The Knicks were first to advance, but we are stronger.”
The fans say the Spurs’ return to the Finals is helping grow the franchise’s international following.
“The Spurs becoming more shining and our popularity goes up all over the world,” Chung said.
The community is already planning for a potential championship celebration.
If the Spurs win the title in Game 5, the clincher would happen on a Sunday in South Korea.
“We’ll get other fans who have time that day and have a drink together,” Dongwook Kwon said. “I hope we can take a picture and celebrate the win.”
Chung plans to celebrate with family.
“My daughter and I share the first championship of Spurs,” he said. “On Sunday we may have a big, huge dinner.”
Park, a scuba diving instructor, has perhaps the most unique celebration planned.
He recently went diving and said he hopes to create a Spurs-themed towel for underwater hand signals. If the Spurs win, he plans to celebrate from the beach.
“I will be at the beach that day for work and to celebrate, I’ll be drinking soju and enjoying sushi,” he said.
Taesung Kwon’s celebration will involve an even more unusual photo shoot.
“In the afternoon he will take pictures with his cows saying ‘Go Spurs Go!'”
Kang has plans of her own.
“If I can walk, I’m going to go downtown, maybe join the people on Southwest Military,” Kang said. She recently underwent surgery.
The Korean fan base also received another boost this week when news broke that Korean basketball player Lee Hyun-jung is expected to join the Spurs’ Summer League roster.
Korean streaming service Coupang Play celebrated the news by calling Lee Hyun-jung the ‘undisputed ace’ of South Korea’s national team and highlighting his move to San Antonio for NBA Summer League.
The post reads: HERE WE GO! Lee Hyun-jung to San Antonio
Korean national team star guard Lee Hyun-jung is joining San Antonio during NBA Summer League 🔥
After winning B.League Playoff MVP in Japan, the undisputed ace of the Korean national team is heading to the NBA, the stage every player dreams of.
Watch NBA Summer League on Coupang Play 🏀
As for their official Finals prediction?
“Spurs in 5,” Taesung Kwon said.
Dongwook Kwon agreed, holding up five fingers during the interview.
And if the Spurs do bring home another championship, don’t expect South Korea to fully embrace San Antonio’s tradition of celebrating with endless car horns.
The fans laughed and said there would probably be a few complaints from the neighbors.
For now, they’ll stick to the group chat.
And one message shared by Spurs fans in both countries.
“Go Spurs Go!”