San Antonio Spurs · Franchise era 1 of 7
The Dallas Chaparrals: the San Antonio Spurs story
Franchise era
1967–68—1975–76
The Dallas Chaparrals
San Antonio Spurs
The story in one sentence
The Chaparrals were an ABA original before a lease arrangement and an enthusiastic new fan base made San Antonio permanent.
ABA roots before San Antonio
James Silas, John Beasley and Rich Jones gave the era its recognizable core.
Its ending created the conditions for the iceman.
Timeline
How it unfolded
The foundation
The franchise context
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.
1967–68—1975–76
The Dallas Chaparrals
The Chaparrals were an ABA original before a lease arrangement and an enthusiastic new fan base made San Antonio permanent.
After 1975–76
What came next
Gervin's elegant scoring carried San Antonio into immediate NBA relevance and several conference-finals runs.
The core