SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Spurs’ home opener at Frost Bank Center was not just about basketball, but also about two significant propositions that could determine the team’s future home.

As early voting continues for the Nov. 4 election, the Bexar County Elections Department reports that thousands have already cast their votes.

Jeff Ray expressed hope for strong voter support, saying, “I hope that all of San Antonio gets out to vote in favor of prop A and B, and I hope that we have a tremendous support for the Spurs for downtown and for the future of San Antonio. I think it’s going to be great and exciting.”

Chris Velarde noted, “Whatever happened here never really panned out, the NBA stated that we’re like last as far as arena experience. We need a world class facility.”

Proposition A proposes raising the hotel occupancy tax by up to 2% to fund a nearly $200 million redevelopment of the Frost Bank Center and rodeo grounds on the east side. Proposition B would allocate hotel tax revenue toward a proposed sports arena project, allowing the county to use more than $300 million of venue tax money for a new Spurs arena downtown.

Kelvin Iriarte, who traveled from Georgia, said, “I’d be okay with a 2% tax if it meant building a nicer arena… I noticed the fan base is great here, but there’s really nothing around this arena.”

Fans at the game expressed strong support for the propositions. “This is extremely important to San Antonio. It’s extremely important to downtown. It’s extremely important to the economy and the future of the Spurs. We have a young, wonderful team that is going to be excellent for years to come,” said Jeff Ray.

However, there is opposition. Ruben Arciniega, a volunteer with COPS/Metro Alliance, criticized the propositions, stating, “With a one sided agreement like this, what we see is an overall investment in hardscapes and/or buildings, which most political leaders typically do. And that’s not innovative. It’s not equitable… this could potentially lead to, and it will lead to displacement of whole communities and neighborhoods.” Billie Gonzales, also a volunteer with COPS/Metro Alliance, added, “There’s a lot of benefit to be gained by the billionaire ownership group if the city and the county own the arena.”

Voters will ultimately decide the outcome during early voting, which ends this Friday, and on election day, Nov. 4.