San Antonio Spurs: Then and now
The San Antonio Spurs are a modern NBA team. The team was founded in 1973. Its media coverage and fans' access to information has changed dramatically since the team's early days. The logo, arena and roster have also changed.
The San Antonio Spurs are an NBA team. The team started in 1967 as the Dallas Chaparrals. It became the Spurs in 1973. They were one of the four ABA teams that got admission to the NBA. Their best players were Larry Kenon, James Silas, Louie Dampier and George Gervin.
The San Antonio Spurs have attracted a lot of stars since the dynasty began in the late 1990s. In recent years, players like Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge, DeMar DeRozan and Dejounte Murray have helped sell jerseys and tickets.
The 1976-77 San Antonio Spurs team had the best scoring offense in the NBA and the worst scoring defense. They went 44-38 and were swept out of the playoffs in a best-of-three opening round. Gervin was the top scorer, contributing 23.1 points per game.
The recent San Antonio Spurs team averaged 111.1 points per game, which is less than the 1976-77 team. The modern team was only tighter defensively, giving up 112.8 points each night. DeRozan was the top scorer, chipping in 21.6 points a game.
The San Antonio Spurs first joined the NBA in 1976. HemisFair Arena was their home court until 1993. The joint held just over 10,000 people at capacity. In 1983, the average ticket price was $9.88.
The San Antonio Spurs play their home games at the AT&T Center. The capacity of the building is 18,500. They averaged 18.308 people per game during the 2018-19 season. In 2019, Spurs tickets cost an average of $177 per night.
The San Antonio Spurs' first NBA season was in 1976. The league's average player salary was $130,000. Bill Bradley was the league’s highest-paid player, earning $325,00.
The NBA's average player salary was $10 million in 2021. Dejounte Murray's salary is $15.4 million. The highest-paid player in 1976 was earning $45.7 million, Steph Curry was the NBA’s top earner at the same time.
