LAST CALL FOR SA FLAVOR TICKETS! JOIN US 5/9

Downtown San Antonio Spurs arena could be one step closer to reality

The earliest the Spurs could vacate Frost Bank Center without facing a stiff financial penalty is 2026.

By Michael Karlis on Fri, Feb 23, 2024 at 4:11 pm

X / @MR_COMMON_5ENSE

An unofficial rendering shows what a downtown Spurs arena and sports district could look like.

In a vote on Thursday, the University of Texas Board of Regents gave the City of San Antonio the exclusive option to buy or lease the 13½-acre downtown property where UTSA's Institute of Texan Cultures sits inside Hemisfair, News4SA reports.

Although the board hasn't discussed details of the vote publicly, the agenda for its Thursday meeting said the transaction was for a "potential downtown revitalization project," leading many to believe the land could be the future site for a new downtown Spurs arena, reports the Express-News.

San Antonio city leaders first approached Spurs officials about building a new downtown arena in January 2023, as reported by the Current. Since then, rumors have swirled that a downtown Spurs arena could be in the works to replace the East Side's aging Frost Bank Center.

Even if the city plans to build a new basketball arena downtown, the Spurs won't be moving in for a while. The earliest the team could break its lease at the Frost Bank Center isn't until 2026. Even then, an early departure would come with an $84 million penalty.

Subscribe to SA Current newsletters.

Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter| Or sign up for our RSS Feed

Tags:

KEEP SA CURRENT!

Since 1986, the SA Current has served as the free, independent voice of San Antonio, and we want to keep it that way.

Becoming an SA Current Supporter for as little as $5 a month allows us to continue offering readers access to our coverage of local news, food, nightlife, events, and culture with no paywalls.

Join today to keep San Antonio Current.

Scroll to read more San Antonio News articles

About The Author

Michael Karlis

Contact Us

Michael Karlis is a Staff Writer at the San Antonio Current. He is a graduate of American University in Washington, D.C., whose work has been featured in Salon, Alternet, Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, Orlando Weekly, NewsBreak, 420 Magazine and Mexico Travel Today. He reports primarily on breaking news, politics...