A vendor sells homemade San Antonio Spurs chains during a recent fan celebration on the South Side. Credit: Michael Karlis

Spurs’ NBA Finals appearance could have the same high-dollar economic impact for San Antonio as last year’s NCAA Final Four tournament, according to a new study.

In an analysis released last week, St. Mary’s University economist Steve Nivin estimates the NBA Finals could generate $440.6 million for the local economy, matching the impact from the 2025 NCAA Final Four tournament, the Express-News reports.

That impact includes spending at bars, restaurants and retail stores along with hotel night stays.

The study’s good news comes as San Antonio’s tourism industry struggles from declining visitor spending. The number of hotel room nights booked here has plunged 12.1% since the city hit its 2019 tourism peak, while hotel occupancy has plummeted by 14% since 2019, as reported by the Current.

Nivin’s projections also come as another recent study found that Spurs Sports & Entertainment, which owns the local NBA franchise, loses $14 million annually to bootleg merchandise vendors, which have set up along Southwest Military Drive and other major thoroughfares during the Silver and Black’s playoff run.

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Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...