The Spurs’ 2026 NBA playoffs run has brought the city to life in more ways than one.
Visit San Antonio estimates that the team’s quest for the championship will generate an estimated total of $36.2 million in visitor spending, assuming the Spurs make it to the final seventh game.
Basketball fans flocking to San Antonio add to the city’s economy — whether they’re Knicks fans coming to root for their team or out-of-town Spurs fans — by spending cash on hotels, restaurants, tickets and local transportation. Spurs fans also are doing their part to boost the local economy, taking part in watch parties and post-game celebrations.
In the first round of the playoffs against the Portland Trailblazers, San Antonio saw $3.5 million in estimated economic impact, according to Visit SA. The second round against the Minnesota Timberwolves also spurred an estimated $3.5 million. The Western Conference finals versus the Oklahoma City Thunder nearly doubled the economic impact — for a total of $6.8 million — in part because of proximity to the Oklahoma fan base.
But the 2026 NBA Finals against the New York Knicks will give San Antonio the largest boon of them all: An estimated $22.4 million. This includes estimates through Game 7, considering if Game 5 at Frost Bank Center goes the way Spurs fans hope on Saturday.
For New York Knicks fans, flying to San Antonio, booking a hotel and buying a ticket to see the teams battle it out at the Frost Bank Center is significantly more affordable than one ticket for Madison Square Garden, dubbed “The World’s Most Famous Arena.” That led to a sea of blue and orange jerseys at the first two games at the Spurs’ home arena.
Visit SA based its estimates on data from the MMGY Domestic Leisure Traveler Study, available local hotel data and online ticketing sources.
“Media exposure from Good Morning America, CBS News, NBC News, ESPN and other national and international media outlets reporting live from San Antonio is in the hundreds of millions of dollars, which would be impossible for Visit San Antonio to purchase,” said a spokesperson for the agency.
The boost for local businesses and tax revenues aligns with previous economic impacts from the NBA playoffs in Denver and Milwaukee, which Visit SA used as a performance reference. Ahead of the Denver Nuggets’ 2023 NBA Finals run, the city of Denver estimated it would generate between $17 million and $25 million from visitors, based on it going six games. For the Milwaukee Bucks’ 2021 complete playoff run, the city saw an estimated total economic impact of $57.6 million, including hotel, transportation, food and beverage, retail, recreation, space rentals and business services.