San Antonio ranked as the No. 5 best city for NBA fans

Editor’s Note: The Spurs’ game-attendance ranking has been corrected to fourth-worst in the league to reflect a reporting error.

Even though some fans of the Silver and Black continue to fret about the Spurs leaving town, a recent report named San Antonio one of the five top cities for pro basketball enthusiasts.

San Antonio ranked as the fifth-best city for NBA fans in WalletHub’s 2022 Best and Worst Cities for Basketball Fans report. The personal finance website attributed that showing to the affordability of attending Spurs games, the team’s average performance and its number of championships.

WalletHub’s Best NBA Cities for Fans:

1. Los Angeles
2. Boston
3. Salt Lake City
4. San Francisco
5. San Antonio

Last week, Bexar County Commissioners Court signaled support for the Spurs’ request to play several home games in Austin, Mexico City and the Alamodome — a move that led fans to speculate whether the team’s relocation was inevitable.

However, in a letter to supporters, majority owner Peter Holt reaffirmed the franchise’s commitment to the Alamo City, writing that “there are no Spurs without the city and people of San Antonio.”

Spurs Sports & Entertainment Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel Bobby Perez told the San Antonio Report the request to play home games in Austin and Mexico City is an attempt to expand the team’s fan base and media market.

While WalletHub ranked the Spurs as the NBA’s eighth-best team for attendance, a separate ESPN analysis listed SA as fourth from the bottom for attendance last season.

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This article appears in May 4-17, 2022.