NBA franchise story

San Antonio Spurs

San Antonio turned small-market continuity into a basketball institution, moving from Gervin to Robinson to Duncan's five-title dynasty and then to Victor Wembanyama.

Every era · The defining players · Five essential games

The franchise timeline

Every era of the San Antonio Spurs.

Move through the franchise chronologically. The jerseys identify each chapter’s central cast, and every curated card opens the complete story of that era.

Historical reference: San Antonio Spurs official team history ↗

The beginning

Franchise era

1967–68—1975–76

James Silas

John Beasley

Rich Jones

ABA roots before San Antonio

The Dallas Chaparrals

The Chaparrals were an ABA original before a lease arrangement and an enthusiastic new fan base made San Antonio permanent.

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Chapter 01

1967–68—1975–76

Franchise era

1976–77—1988–89

George Gervin

James Silas

Artis Gilmore

Gervin makes the Spurs an NBA winner

The Iceman

Gervin's elegant scoring carried San Antonio into immediate NBA relevance and several conference-finals runs.

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Chapter 02

1976–77—1988–89

Franchise era

1989–90—1996–97

David Robinson

Sean Elliott

Avery Johnson

Robinson transforms the franchise

The Admiral

Robinson arrived after naval service and instantly made the Spurs a 56-win team, later earning MVP before one injury-altered season changed history.

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Chapter 03

1989–90—1996–97

Franchise era

1997–98—2015–16

Tim Duncan

Tony Parker

Manu Ginóbili

Five titles through constant evolution

The Duncan dynasty

Duncan's steadiness allowed San Antonio to evolve from twin towers to a flowing motion offense while winning five championships.

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Chapter 04

1997–98—2015–16

Franchise era

2016–17—2017–18

Kawhi Leonard

LaMarcus Aldridge

Pau Gasol

An MVP-level successor, then a sudden split

The Kawhi handoff

Leonard led a 61-win contender before injury and distrust abruptly ended the planned succession.

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Chapter 05

2016–17—2017–18

Franchise era

2018–19—2022–23

DeMar DeRozan

Dejounte Murray

Keldon Johnson

The playoff streak ends and the roster gets younger

The patient reset

San Antonio transitioned from veterans to draft development and eventually committed to a ground-up rebuild.

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Chapter 06

2018–19—2022–23

Franchise era

2023–24—present

Victor Wembanyama

Devin Vassell

Stephon Castle

A generational defender resets the ceiling

The Wembanyama era

Wembanyama's unprecedented combination of size and skill gave the Spurs another potential franchise-defining big man.

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Chapter 07

2023–24—present

Present day

The essential watchlist

Five San Antonio Spurs games to start with.

Curated from the franchise’s defining eras, championship stakes and the games that still carry its story.

#01 · NBA Finals

Heat vs Spurs

Jun 18, 2013

#02 · Western Conference Finals

Western ConferenceFinals

Rockets vs Spurs

May 30, 1995

#03 · NBA Finals

Knicks vs Spurs

Jun 25, 1999

#04 · Western Conference Finals

Western ConferenceFinals

1999

GAME2

SAN ANTONIOSPURS

PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS

MAY 31, 1999

Spurs vs Trail Blazers

May 31, 1999

#05 · Conference Semifinals

Conference Semifinals

Lakers vs Spurs

May 13, 2004

Season history

Past seasons

50 seasons · newest first

Game archive

San Antonio Spurs games

4,457 total · loaded 10 at a time