Although the Spurs have among the worst records in the NBA, the Silver and Black only have a 14% chance of landing the No. 1 draft pick. Credit: Samantha Serna

Interest in Spurs tickets skyrocketed Tuesday after San Antonio secured the No. 1 2023 NBA Draft pick, according to online marketplace Vivid Seats.

Online traffic for Spurs tickets jumped 2,200% after the Silver and Black won the lottery, Vivid Seats’ data shows. What’s more, interest in Spurs tickets was the highest of any NBA team not remaining in the current playoffs.

The Spurs are expected to draft French phenom Victor Wembanyama, a 7-foot-5-inch center whom many consider a generational talent on par with LeBron James. His addition to the team’s lineup is likely to propel it back into the playoffs, where it’s been painfully absent in recent seasons.

“There’s a special relation between France and the Spurs because of Tony [Parker], of course, and also Boris [Diaw],” Wembanyama told Bleacher Report. “I know half of the country, maybe if not the whole country, wanted the Spurs to have the first pick, so I was looking at everyone, and everyone was happy, so I was too.”

Spurs Sports and Entertainment officials weren’t immediately available for comment on the team’s box-office inquiries since Tuesday announcement.

Tuesday marked the third time the Spurs have landed the No. 1 draft pick. The team previously held the honor in 1997, when it brought on Tim Duncan, and in 1987, when it pulled in David Robinson. Both have been enshrined in the NBA Hall of Fame.

San Antonio fans went honking on Commerce Street and lined up to take pictures at a South Side mural of “Wemby” after Spurs secured the No. 1 pick Tuesday.

The NBA Draft will take place at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on June 22.

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This article appears in May 17-30, 2023.

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,...