San Antonio Spurs
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The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They play in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
The Spurs are the only former American Basketball Association team to have won an NBA championship, which they have done three times. As of November 2006, the Spurs rank second of active franchises for highest winning percentage in NBA history (behind the Los Angeles Lakers). The Spurs passed the Boston Celtics (the first franchise to do so with a statistically significant number of games played since March 30, 1988) with a win over the Miami Heat on November 22 2006.
The Spurs in San Antonio
The Spurs are the only major professional sports franchise to be located in the San Antonio area, and the city shares a special bond with the team almost unmatched in the rest of the NBA. Spurs players are active members of the San Antonio community, and many former Spurs are still active in San Antonio, like David Robinson's Carver Academy and the George Gervin Youth Center.
In part because of this community involvement, Spurs fans have been among the most loyal in the NBA. The Spurs set several NBA attendance records while playing at the Alamodome, including the largest crowd ever for a NBA Finals game in 1999, and the Spurs continue to sell out the smaller, more intimate AT&T Center (formerly SBC Center) on a regular basis. The Spurs' rallying cry of "Go Spurs Go!" has endeared itself to the city of San Antonio, and the phrase pops up all over the city as the season progresses into the playoffs and the Spurs inch closer to a possible title.
San Antonio has also garnered praise for the way its citizens celebrate Spurs championships. When the Spurs win a title, San Antonians jam up the streets downtown, march around waving flags, throw confetti and honk car horns until dawn, but with little incidence of crime. There has yet to be a major riot involving a Spurs title celebration.
A unique part of every Spurs season comes in February when the team is forced onto an extended road-trip due to the occupation of its arena by the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo. This is informally known as a time that typically starts the Spurs' run to the playoffs; indeed, starting in 1999 the Spurs have consistently posted phenomenal road records during this period, including the longest one-road-trip winning streak (8 games) in league history achieved in 2003.
Team history
Early franchise history in the ABA
The San Antonio Spurs started out as the Dallas Chaparrals of the original version of the American Basketball Association (ABA) in 1967. The team suffered from poor attendance and general disinterest in Dallas. In fact, during the 1970-71 season, the name "Dallas" was dropped in favor of "Texas" and an attempt was made to make the team a regional one, playing games in Fort Worth, Texas, at the Tarrant County Coliseum, as well as Lubbock, Texas, at the Lubbock Municipal Coliseum, but this proved a failure and the team returned full-time to Dallas in time for the 1971-72 season, splitting their games at Moody Coliseum and Dallas Convention Center Arena.
After missing the playoffs for the first time in their existence in the 1972-73 season, the team was put up for sale. The team was acquired by a group of 36 San Antonio businessmen, led by Angelo Drossos and Red McCombs who actually leased the team from the original Dallas ownership group, relocated the team to San Antonio, Texas and renamed them the Spurs. The team's primary colors were changed from the red, white, and blue of the Chaparrals to the now familiar silver and black motif of the Spurs.
The team quickly made themselves at home at San Antonio's HemisFair Arena playing to increasingly large and raucous crowds. The early Spurs were led by ABA veteran James Silas and bolstered by the acquisition in early-1974 of future NBA Hall-of-Famer George Gervin from the Virginia Squires. Even though playoff success would elude the team in the ABA, the Spurs had suddenly found themselves among the top teams in the ABA. In 1976, the ABA folded, threatening the future of San Antonio's sole professional sports franchise. The NBA however decided to admit four ABA teams into the league, with the Spurs being one of them along with the Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers and the New York Nets.
The Spurs and the other three ABA teams agreed to pay the owners of a 5th team, the Spirit of St. Louis, a portion of all television profits during their NBA tenure. This amounts to roughly 1/7th of their television profit every year. This agreement has placed particular financial pressure on the Spurs and the other 3 former ABA teams.
Early NBA seasons
Although there was some initial skepticism in league circles regarding the potential success and talent levels of the incoming ABA teams, the Spurs would prove worthy of NBA inclusion during the 1975-76 season with a record of 44-38, good for a tie for fourth place overall in the Eastern Conference. This was done in spite of significant handicaps the NBA imposed on the incoming ABA teams, limiting their draft picks and television revenues during their early time in the merged league. The Spurs would go on to capture 5 division titles in their first 7 years in the NBA and became a perennial playoff participant.
The 1980s
The decade of the 1980s marked both highs, then lows, and an eventual high. For the first few seasons of the decade, the Spurs continued their success of the 1970s with records of 52-30 in 1980-81, 48-34 in 1981-82, and 53-29 in 1982-83. Despite their regular season success, the Spurs were unable to win any NBA championships, losing in the Western Conference playoffs to the Houston Rockets in 1981 and the Los Angeles Lakers in 1982 and 1983.
After the 1984-85 season, Gervin, who arguably had been the Spurs' biggest star, was traded to the Chicago Bulls in what effectively signaled the end of the era that began when the Spurs first moved to San Antonio.
The next four seasons were a dark time in Spurs' history, with the team having a combined record of 115-215 from 1985-86 until 1988-89. The losing seasons and dwindling attendance often caused the Spurs to be mentioned as a potential candidate for relocation to another city. The lone bright spot during this period was the Spurs' being awarded the top pick in the 1987 NBA draft through NBA Draft Lottery. The Spurs used this selection on United States Naval Academy standout David Robinson. Although drafted in 1987, the Spurs would have to wait until the 1989-90 season to see Robinson actually play due to a two-year commitment he had to serve with the United States Navy.
Although the 1988-89 season was the worst in Spurs history at 21-61, it was notable for several reasons. It was the first season of full ownership for Red McCombs, who was an original investor in the team and helped solidify local ownership for the team. Additionally, the 1988-89 season featured the debut of Larry Brown as the Spurs head coach who moved to San Antonio after winning the NCAA National Championship with the University of Kansas in 1988.
As the 1980s ended, the 1989-90 season proved to be the rebirth of the Spurs franchise. Led by Robinson along with the newly added Terry Cummings and 1989 draftee Sean Elliott, the Spurs achieved the biggest one-season turnaround in NBA History, finishing with a record of 56-26. The Spurs eventually lost in the Western Conference semifinals after losing a seven-game series to the eventual Western Conference champion Portland Trail Blazers. Robinson had one of the most successful rookie seasons for a center in NBA history, finishing the season as Rookie of the Year while averaging 24.3 points and 12.0 rebounds.
The 1990s and a title
The Spurs began the 1990s with great optimism. The team became a perennial playoff presence although were never able to advance further than the second round of the NBA Playoffs under Brown's tutelage. Late in the 1991-92 season, McCombs fired Brown and replaced him with Bob Bass who finished the season as interim head coach. Without a healthy David Robinson, the Spurs were swept out of the first round of the playoffs by the Phoenix Suns. McCombs made national headlines during the summer of 1992 with the hiring of former UNLV head coach Jerry Tarkanian. The Tarkanian experiment proved a flop, as the coach was fired 20 games into the 1992-93 season with the Spurs record at 9-11. After Rex Hughes filled the coaching shoes for one game, NBA veteran John Lucas was named head coach. It was Lucas's first NBA coaching assignment although he had gained recognition in league circles for his success in helping NBA players rehab from drug abuse.
The Lucas era started out successfully. His coaching propelled the team to a 39-22 finish over the rest of the regular season and the team reached the Western Conference semi-finals, losing to the Phoenix Suns. The 1992-93 season also marked the last that the Spurs would play in HemisFair Arena. In 1993 local businessman Peter M. Holt and a group of 22 investors purchased the Spurs from Red McCombs for $75 million.
The following season, the Spurs first in the newly built Alamodome, Lucas led the Spurs to a 55-27 record but the team suffered a loss in the first round of the playoffs to the Utah Jazz which led to the immediate firing of Lucas as head coach. Prior to the season the Spurs traded fan-favorite Elliott to the Detroit Pistons in return for rebounding star Dennis Rodman.
Lucas was replaced by former Pacers coach Bob Hill for the 1994-95 season, which would turn out to be the Spurs' most successful until 2006. Elliott returned to the team after an uneventful season with the Pistons and the team finished with the best record at 62-20 while David Robinson was named the NBA's Most Valuable Player. The Spurs reached the Western Conference Finals, but lost to the eventual NBA Champion Houston Rockets. Throughout the season and particularly in the playoffs there appeared to be friction developing between Rodman and several Spurs' teammates, most notably Robinson, and Rodman was traded after the season to the Chicago Bulls.
The Spurs finished the next season (1995-96) under Hill at 59-23 and lost in the Western Conference semi-finals to the Jazz. Few observers could have predicted how far the Spurs would fall during the 1996-97 season. An injury limited Robinson to just six games during the season, and Elliott also missed more than half the season through injury, and the Spurs wound up with a 20-62 record, the worst in franchise history. Hill only lasted 18 games that season, eventually being replaced by Gregg Popovich, who had once been an assistant for the Spurs during Larry Brown's coaching turn.
Although the 1996-97 season was not successful on the court for the Spurs, the offseason proved to be the opposite. With the third-worst record in the league, the Spurs won the NBA's draft lottery which gave them the top pick in the 1997 draft. The Spurs used their pick to select Wake Forest University product and consensus All-American Tim Duncan.
Duncan quickly emerged as a force in the NBA during the 1997-98 season, averaging 21.1 points and 11.9 rebounds per game as a power forward. He was named First Team All-NBA while winning Rookie of the Year honors. The team ended up at 56-26 but once again lost to the Jazz in the Western Conference semifinals. While both Duncan and Robinson played low-post roles, the two seamlessly meshed on the court. The March 14, 1998, game against the Chicago Bulls set the Spurs' current (as of January 15, 2007) regular-season home attendance record. An Alamodome crowd of 37,492 came to see Michael Jordan's last visit as a Bull, as he led the team to its third-straight and most recent championship.
With a healthy Robinson and Duncan and the additions of playoff veterans such as Mario Elie and Jerome Kersey, the Spurs looked forward to the 1998-99 season. Prior to the beginning of training camps however, the NBA owners led by commissioner David Stern locked out the players in order to force a new collective bargaining agreement with the NBA Players Association (NBAPA). The season was delayed over three months until resolution on a new labor agreement was reached in January 1999.
Playing a shortened 50-game season, the Spurs ended up with a 37-13 record. The team was just as dominant in the playoffs, rolling through the Western Conference with a record of 11-1. They faced the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals and, on June 25, 1999, won the series and the franchise's first NBA Championship in Game 5 (final score: 78-77) on the Knicks' home court of Madison Square Garden. Duncan was named the Finals MVP. The victory by the Spurs was not only the first NBA title to be won by a former ABA team, but also was the first Finals appearance by a team from the ABA. The Spurs also set a new NBA Finals one-game attendance record when 39,554 fans attended Game 2. The previous record was set only two days earlier, when 39,514 spectators attended Game 1.
The Spurs were not able to capitalize on their success during the 1999-2000 season. Although they finished with an overall record of 53-29, the Spurs lost in the first round to the Suns primarily due to an injury to Duncan which kept him out of the playoff series. The longterm viability of the Spurs franchise in San Antonio was however achieved during the 1999-2000 season, as Bexar County voters approved increases on car rental and hotel taxes which would allow for the construction of a new arena near Freeman Coliseum.
A new century, a new era
The Spurs finished with 58-24 records for both the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons but found themselves suffering playoff ousters in both seasons from the eventual NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers.
Entering the 2002-03 season, the team knew it would be memorable for at least two reasons, as David Robinson announced that it would be his last in the NBA and the Spurs would begin play at their new arena (approved in 1999 by County voters), the SBC Center, named after telecommunications giant SBC, whose corporate headquarters are located in San Antonio. (SBC became AT&T after its acquisition with its former parent company.) To mark this occasion, the Spurs revamped their "Fiesta" logo and reverted to the familiar silver and black motif (though, during the time of the Fiesta logo, the uniform remained silver and black).
This version of the Spurs was very different from the team that had won the title a few years earlier. The Spurs had remade their team in an attempt to dethrone the three-time defending NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers. Second-year French star Tony Parker was now the starting point guard for the Spurs and the squad featured a variety of three-point shooters including Stephen Jackson, Danny Ferry, Bruce Bowen, Steve Kerr, Steve Smith and Argentina product Manu Ginobili. Mixing the inside presences of Duncan and Robinson with the newer outside threats, the Spurs earned a 60-22 record. In the playoffs, the Spurs defeated the Suns, Lakers and Dallas Mavericks en route to facing the New Jersey Nets in the NBA Finals. The series against the Nets marked the first time two former ABA teams would play each other for the NBA Championship. The Spurs won the series 4-2, giving them their second NBA Championship in franchise history. Duncan was named both the NBA Regular Season and Finals MVP for the season.
In the 2003-04 season, the Spurs were knocked out of the playoffs by the Lakers in the Western Conference semi-finals. The Lakers rallied from a 0-2 hole in the series and won 4 straight. The series was defined by a controversial game-winning shot in Game 5 by Derek Fisher with 0:00.4 left in the game.[1][2][3] The Spurs protested the shot, arguing that the clock started late, which the Spurs claimed was why replays showed Fisher got off the shot in time.[4][3] An AP report and the three officials in attendance stated that replays showed the shot was released by Fisher before time expired.[3][5] The officials, however, could not consider the Spurs' claim that the clock did not start immediately when the ball was inbounded. After the stunning loss, the Spurs traveled to Los Angeles for Game 6, where they lost the game and the series. The Spurs spent the following offseason tweaking the team.
With the acquisition of guard Brent Barry from Seattle, and the later additions of center Nazr Mohammed from New York (acquired in a midseason trade of Malik Rose to the dismay of Spurs fans), and veteran forward Glenn Robinson from free agency, alongside regulars Bruce Bowen, Robert Horry, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Tim Duncan, the Spurs finished the 2004-05 season ranked number two in the Western Conference with a 59-23 record, finishing with the best record in the Southwest Division. In the postseason the Spurs defeated the Denver Nuggets 4-1, the Seattle Supersonics 4-2 and the Phoenix Suns 4-1 before advancing to the NBA Finals, where they won the NBA championship for a third time in seven years by defeating the Eastern Conference champion and defending NBA Champion Detroit Pistons 4-3 on June 23, 2005. Tim Duncan was named Finals MVP, becoming only the fourth player to win the MVP award three times (joining Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal, and Michael Jordan). Also, Manu Ginobili established himself as a NBA star, earning local, national, and international fan praise (particularly in his home country of Argentina) and a berth in that season's All-Star Game.
In the 2005-06 season, the Spurs, lead by Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and newly-named All-Star Tony Parker, broke their franchise record for wins in a season (63-19) and qualified for the playoffs for the ninth year in a row. (Until this season, the Spurs and Indiana Pacers shared the NBA's longest active consecutive playoff appearance streak with nine in a row — see Active NBA playoff appearance streaks - though San Antonio has qualified for its 10th consecutive appearance during the 2006-07 season, while Indiana's playoff streak ended.) However, the defending-champion Spurs were eliminated in the second round by the Dallas Mavericks in a 7-game semifinal series that, due to a quirk in the playoff ranking system, featured the two top teams in the conference.
Future outlook
The Spurs look poised to contend for several titles to come. The three key players (Duncan, Ginobili, Parker) are under contract until at least 2009. The Spurs had hoped to buy out the contract of Ginobili's countryman Luis Scola, a power forward whom the Spurs had drafted in 2002; however, it appears that the Spurs are looking to trade the rights to Scola even though the asking price of TAU Cerámica is down to $3.5 million, keeping the possibility open that they could still pursue him.
The Spurs lightened their salary cap by trading Rasho Nesterovic to Toronto for Matt Bonner and Eric Williams(who was later traded for power forward Melvin Ely). They have also signed two centers, Jackie Butler and Francisco Elson, to replace Nesterovic and Nazr Mohammed (who signed with the Detroit Pistons as a free agent). The Spurs have also signed a third point guard, veteran Jacque Vaughn and rookie James White.
Spurs fans have made links with Tottenham Hotspur F.C. (which also goes by the name Spurs), with the two teams having mutual support for each other. The clubs are planning a business agreement whereby each other's merchandise is sold at the other club (similar to Manchester United F.C. and New York Yankees).[citation needed]
Reputation
The San Antonio Spurs have the reputation in the NBA for being a "quiet" team while playing at an elite level. There are two reasons given for the reputation:
- Although San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the USA, it is only 37th nationally in terms of media market size, among the smallest of the NBA's markets.
- Unlike some franchises with a notoriety for players with legal issues (e.g., the 1990's Portland Trail Blazers, nicknamed the "Jail Blazers" for such), few if any of the Spurs players have had serious on- or off-court activities. Dennis Rodman was an exception; despite his rebounding talent, his antics resulted in his release from the team after only two years.
The Spurs are also noteworthy for their efforts to scout and draft international players. They have been a leader in the increasing internationalization of the NBA's player base.
Uniforms
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The Home jersey used from 1987 to the present day
-
The Road Jersey used from 1987 to the present day
Season-by-season records
Note: W = wins, L = losses, % = win–loss %
| Season | W | L | % | Playoffs | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Chaparrals (ABA) (Not included in W/L totals) | |||||
| 1967-68 | 46 | 32 | .590 | Won First Round Lost ABA Semifinals |
Dallas 3, Houston 0 New Orleans 4, Dallas 1 |
| 1968-69 | 41 | 37 | .526 | Lost First Round | New Orleans 4, Dallas 3 |
| 1969-70 | 45 | 39 | .536 | Lost First Round | Los Angeles 4, Dallas 2 |
| Texas Chaparrals (ABA) (Not included in W/L totals) | |||||
| 1970-71 | 30 | 54 | .357 | Lost First Round | Utah 4, Texas 0 |
| Dallas Chaparrals (ABA) (Not included in W/L totals) | |||||
| 1971-72 | 42 | 42 | .500 | Lost First Round | Utah 4, Dallas 0 |
| 1972-73 | 28 | 56 | .333 | ||
| San Antonio Spurs (ABA) (Not included in W/L totals) | |||||
| 1973-74 | 45 | 39 | .536 | Lost First Round | Indiana 4, San Antonio 3 |
| 1974-75 | 51 | 33 | .607 | Lost First Round | Indiana 4, San Antonio 2 |
| 1975-76 | 50 | 34 | .595 | Lost First Round | New York 4, San Antonio 3 |
| San Antonio Spurs (NBA) (Included in W/L totals) | |||||
| 1976-77 | 44 | 38 | .537 | Lost First Round | Boston 2, San Antonio 0 |
| 1977-78 | 52 | 30 | .634 | Lost Conference Semifinals | Washington 4, San Antonio 2 |
| 1978-79 | 48 | 34 | .585 | Won Conference Semifinals Lost Conference Finals |
San Antonio 4, Philadelphia 3 Washington 4, San Antonio 3 |
| 1979-80 | 41 | 41 | .500 | Lost First Round | Houston 2, San Antonio 1 |
| 1980-81 | 52 | 30 | .634 | Lost Conference Semifinals | Houston 4, San Antonio 3 |
| 1981-82 | 48 | 34 | .585 | Won Conference Semifinals Lost Conference Finals |
San Antonio 4, Seattle 1 Los Angeles 4, San Antonio 0 |
| 1982-83 | 53 | 29 | .646 | Won Conference Semifinals Lost Conference Finals |
San Antonio 4, Denver 1 Los Angeles 4, San Antonio 2 |
| 1983-84 | 37 | 45 | .451 | ||
| 1984-85 | 41 | 41 | .500 | Lost First Round | Denver 3, San Antonio 2 |
| 1985-86 | 35 | 47 | .427 | Lost First Round | LA Lakers 3, San Antonio 0 |
| 1986-87 | 28 | 54 | .341 | ||
| 1987-88 | 31 | 51 | .378 | Lost First Round | LA Lakers 3, San Antonio 0 |
| 1988-89 | 21 | 61 | .256 | ||
| 1989-90 | 56 | 26 | .683 | Won First Round Lost Conference Semifinals |
San Antonio 3, Denver 0 Portland 4, San Antonio 3 |
| 1990-91 | 55 | 27 | .671 | Lost First Round | Golden State 3, San Antonio 1 |
| 1991-92 | 47 | 35 | .573 | Lost First Round | Phoenix 3, San Antonio 0 |
| 1992-93 | 49 | 33 | .598 | Won First Round Lost Conference Semifinals |
San Antonio 3, Portland 1 Phoenix 4, San Antonio 2 |
| 1993-94 | 55 | 27 | .671 | Lost First Round | Utah 3, San Antonio 1 |
| 1994-95 | 62 | 20 | .756 | Won First Round Won Conference Semifinals Lost Conference Finals |
San Antonio 3, Denver 0 San Antonio 4, LA Lakers 2 Houston 4, San Antonio 2 |
| 1995-96 | 59 | 23 | .720 | Won First Round Lost Conference Semifinals |
San Antonio 3, Phoenix 1 Utah 4, San Antonio 2 |
| 1996-97 | 20 | 62 | .244 | ||
| 1997-98 | 56 | 26 | .683 | Won First Round Lost Conference Semifinals |
San Antonio 3, Phoenix 1 Utah 4, San Antonio 1 |
| 1998-99 | 37 | 13 | .740 | Won First Round Won Conference Semifinals Won Conference Finals Won NBA Finals |
San Antonio 3, Minnesota 1 San Antonio 4, LA Lakers 0 San Antonio 4, Portland 0 San Antonio 4, New York 1 |
| 1999-2000 | 53 | 29 | .646 | Lost First Round | Phoenix 3, San Antonio 1 |
| 2000-01 | 58 | 24 | .707 | Won First Round Won Conference Semifinals Lost Conference Finals |
San Antonio 3, Minnesota 1 San Antonio 4, Dallas 1 LA Lakers 4, San Antonio 0 |
| 2001-02 | 58 | 24 | .707 | Won First Round Lost Conference Semifinals |
San Antonio 3, Seattle 2 LA Lakers 4, San Antonio 1 |
| 2002-03 | 60 | 22 | .732 | Won First Round Won Conference Semifinals Won Conference Finals Won NBA Finals |
San Antonio 4, Phoenix 2 San Antonio 4, LA Lakers 2 San Antonio 4, Dallas 2 San Antonio 4, New Jersey 2 |
| 2003-04 | 57 | 25 | .695 | Won First Round Lost Conference Semifinals |
San Antonio 4, Memphis 0 LA Lakers 4, San Antonio 2 |
| 2004-05 | 59 | 23 | .720 | Won First Round Won Conference Semifinals Won Conference Finals Won NBA Finals |
San Antonio 4, Denver 1 San Antonio 4, Seattle 2 San Antonio 4, Phoenix 1 San Antonio 4, Detroit 3 |
| 2005-06 | 63 | 19 | .768 | Won First Round Lost Conference Semifinals |
San Antonio 4, Sacramento 2 Dallas 4, San Antonio 3 |
| 2006-07 | 58 | 24 | .707 | First Round | San Antonio 1, Denver 1 |
| Totals | 1493 | 1017 | .595 | ||
| Playoffs | 129 | 115 | .529 | 3 Championships (playoff series record: 26-23) | |
Arena history
Dallas (Texas) Chaparrals
- State Fair Coliseum (1967-1973)
- Moody Coliseum (1967-1973)
- Tarrant County Coliseum (1970-1971)
- Lubbock Municipal Coliseum (1970-1971)
San Antonio Spurs
- HemisFair Arena (1973-1993)
- Alamodome (1993-2002)
- AT&T Center (formerly SBC Center) (2002-present)
Players of note
For a complete list of current and former players, see the San Antonio Spurs players category.
Basketball Hall of Famers
- George "The Iceman" Gervin - 1996
- Moses Malone - 2001
- Dominique Wilkins - 2006
Retired numbers
- 00 - Johnny Moore, G, 1980-88 & 1989-90
- 13 - James Silas, G, 1972-81 (including the last season in Dallas)
- 32 - Sean Elliott, F, 1989-93 & 1994-2001
- 44 - George Gervin, G, 1974-85 (Hall of Famer, voted as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996 )
- 50 - David Robinson, C, 1989-2003 (he was also voted as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996)
Notable Players
Current roster
STARTING LINEUP (as of March 23,2007) (PG) Tony Parker (SG) Brent Barry (SF) Bruce Bowen (PF) Tim Duncan (C) Francisco Elson
Player positions
Table below indicates each player's most frequently played positions in bold and with link.
Secondary positions are in normal text and unlinked.
- Primary: the usual starter and player likely to get the most minutes in that position.
- Substitute: consistently comes off bench and receives regular minutes or often rotates into that position from a different starting position.
- Fill-in: either plays only occasionally or fills in a non-standard role for a brief period.
Position |
Primary |
Substitute |
Fill-in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Parker |
Manu Ginobili Brent Barry |
||
| Michael Finley |
Manu Ginobili Brent Barry |
Beno Udrih | |
| Bruce Bowen |
Michael Finley Brent Barry |
James White | |
| Tim Duncan | Robert Horry Matt Bonner Michael Finley |
Melvin Ely |
|
| Francisco Elson |
Fabricio Oberto
|
Jackie Butler |
Unsigned draftees and development league signees
The Spurs have been uncommonly successful among NBA teams in finding foreign talent as demonstrated by selecting Manu Ginobili ( 
1999 NBA Draft 57th pick) and Tony Parker ( 
2001 NBA Draft 29th pick) who have both become All Stars. The Spurs own the NBA rights to the players listed in the table below. The typical pattern is to allow the player to develop in leagues outside the USA. The player is free to negotiate contracts in other leagues and is not obligated to play in the NBA. Sometimes, a player's overseas contract may have an expensive buyout clause that would discourage the Spurs from seeking to bring him in; this is notably the case for Scola.
| C |  |
Robertas Javtokas | 2001 NBA Draft | 56th pick |
| C |  |
Sergey Karaulov | 2004 NBA Draft | 58th pick |
| PF | |
Ian Mahinmi | 2005 NBA Draft | 28th pick |
| SF |  |
Viktor Sanikidze | 2004 NBA Draft | 42nd pick |
| PF | |
Luis Scola | 2002 NBA Draft | 56th pick |
Head coaches
| Years Active | Name | Record (W-L) | Winning Percentage | Playoff Record (W-L) | Postseason Percentage | Playoff Appearances | Division Titles | Conference Titles | NBA Championships | Current Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19961–present | Gregg Popovich | 518-252† | .673 | 76-47 | .618 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 3 | Head Coach, Spurs |
| 1994–961 | Bob Hill | 124-58 | .681 | 14-11 | .560 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Inactive |
| 19922–94 | John Lucas | 94-49 | .657 | 6-8 | .429 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Inactive |
| 19922 | Jerry Tarkanian | 9-11 | .450 | N/A | N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Inactive |
| 19923 | Bob Bass | 26-18 | .591 | 0-3 | .000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Inactive |
| 1988–923 | Larry Brown | 153-131 | .539 | 7-7 | .500 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Inactive |
| 1986–88 | Bob Weiss | 59-105 | .360 | 0-3 | .000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Inactive |
| 1984–86 | Cotton Fitzsimmons | 76-88 | .463 | 2-6 | .250 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Deceased |
| 19834–84 | Bob Bass | 26-25 | .510 | N/A | N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Inactive |
| 19834 | Morris McHone | 11-20 | .355 | N/A | N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Head Coach, Sioux Falls Skyforce |
| 1980–83 | Stan Albeck | 153-93 | .622 | 13-14 | .481 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | Inactive |
| 19805 | Bob Bass | 8-8 | .500 | 1-2 | .333 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Inactive |
| 1976–805 | Doug Moe | 177-135 | .567 | 9-13 | .409 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Inactive |
†Statistics reflect through 2005–06 season.
1During the 1996–97 season, Bob Hill coached 18 regular season games. Hill was fired on December 10, 1996, and Gregg Popovich coached the reaming 64 regular season games.
2During the 1992–93 season, Jerry Tarkanian coached 20 regular season games. Tarkanian was fired on December 18, 1992, Rex Hughes then coached one regular season game and John Lucas coached the remaining 61 regular season games as well as the playoffs.
3During the 1991–92 season, Larry Brown coached 38 regular season games. Brown was fired on January 21, 1992, and Bob Bass coached the remaing 44 regular season games as well as the playoffs.
4During the 1983–84 season, Morris McHone coached 31 regular season games. McHone was fired on December 28, 1983, and Bob Bass coached the remaing 51 regular season games.
5During the 1979–80 season, Doug Moe coached 66 regular season games. Moe was fired on March 1, 1980, and Bob Bass coached the remaining 16 regular season games as well as the playoffs.
References
- ^ "Parker perplexed once again", San Antonio Express-News, May 14, 2004.
- ^ "S.A. is heartbreak city", San Antonio Express-News, May 14, 2004.
- ^ a b c Fisher’s Jumper Gives Lakers Dramatic Game 5 Win, NBA.com, May 13, 2004. Last accessed February 7, 2007.
- ^ Triple Crown bid nabs viewers, Houston Chronicle, May 17, 2004.
- ^ No Time to Lose, The Washington Post, May 14, 2004, Last accessed February 7, 2007.
- ^ Udrih relegated to third-string status for Spurs, San Antonio Express-News, Dec. 25, 2006.
External links
- San Antonio Spurs official website
- San Antonio Spurs Official Summer Pro League website
- Official Website of Tim Duncan
- SpursReport.com
- SpursDynasty.com
- Basketball-Reference.com Spurs Draft History
- NBA Wire Message Board
- SpursTalk.com Fan Forum
- TheStonecutter.org Spurs Fan Forum
- ClubSpurs.com Fan Forum
- About.com About San Antonio Spurs
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