The Spurs may be eyeing Hemisfair as the spot for a new arena, the Express-News reports. Credit: Courtesy Photo / Hemisfair

Will the San Antonio Spurs’ next arena be located in Hemisfair?

That option may be on the table, the Express-News reports, citing “recent contacts” between local officials and the owners of the Missions, the Alamo City’s Minor League Baseball team.

A city official recently tried to dissuade Missions honchos from scouting in downtown’s publicly owned Hemisfair for a new stadium site, the Express-News reports, citing people familiar with the matter. Most likely, that’s because city sees the site as a better fit for the Spurs, according to the daily.

The Spurs organization is looking to get out of the aging Frost Bank Center and develop a new arena with a price tag of up to $1 billion, according to recent media reports. Team officials have reportedly shown a keen interest in relocating into the center city.

Dropping the arena into Hemisfair — the original site of the city’s 1968 world expo — dovetails with years of work to redevelop the site into an entertainment and recreation destination that includes restaurants, retail and residential components.

At one point, city leaders and developers threw around the idea of combining a Spurs arena and the Missions’ new stadium into a downtown sports district. While advocates argued the move would spur development as the area struggles to recover from the pandemic, critics warn that such projects have proven a mixed bag in other cities.

Either way, the Express-News reports that the idea of a combined sports district appears to have petered out, and the Missions’ owners, who are looking for public financing for their new facility, are expected to submit a new plan to the city “in a matter of days.”

Even if the city and the Spurs are close to a deal to put an arena in Hemisfair, don’t expect to see Wemby and crew playing there anytime soon. The Silver and Black’s lease on the the Frost Bank Center doesn’t expire until 2032.

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This article appears in Nov 1-14, 2023.

Sanford Nowlin is editor-in-chief of the San Antonio Current. He holds degrees from Trinity University and the University of Texas at San Antonio, and his work has been featured in Salon, Alternet, Creative...