Spurs break NBA’s all-time attendance record against Warriors
Golden State shines on historic night, winning 144-113
January 14, 2023
San Antonio – After over two decades and four NBA championships, the San Antonio Spurs returned to the Alamodome on Friday night, in part to celebrate the franchise’s 50th anniversary.
The Spurs fell to the Golden State Warriors 144-113, however, the result of the game did not dictate the emotions of the fans. The Spurs pointed to this game prior to the start of the season as an attempt to break the NBA’s all-time single-game regular-season attendance record.
The Spurs successfully managed to shatter the record, filling the Dome with 68,323 fans.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who is currently the longest-tenured coach in the NBA, joined the Spurs in 1996 while the team still called the Alamodome home. Popovich earned his first victory in the Alamodome on Dec. 14, 1996, and was excited to be back in the historic stadium while setting a new league record.
“It is just an exciting moment for everybody. It is nostalgic for everybody. To have that many people in one building, to be able to play in front of them, is pretty damn exciting,” Popovich said.
The previous attendance record of 62,046 took place in 1998 when the Chicago Bulls played the Atlanta Hawks in the Georgia Dome. Warriors coach Steve Kerr had two stints as a player with the Spurs (1999-2001, 2002-2003) and was a player on the Bulls in the historic game at the Georgia Dome in 1998.
Outside of the nostalgia of the game, Golden State’s bench points led the way for the 31-point victory, as the Warriors also had eight players score in double figures. The reigning league champions also set their season high in points in the evening.
Tre Jones had a team-high 21 points. Though in a losing effort, Jones was pleased with the fans for showing out and making the record-breaking night possible.
“For the city of San Antonio to come out to support us, going back to the Alamodome again, it speaks to the fans and who they are and the support that we have,” Jones said. “I was talking to the guys in the back, saying, ‘I don’t think any NBA team could be able to do this but San Antonio.’”
