AUSTIN, Texas – As Bexar County voters prepare to decide whether to dedicate more than $300 million in venue taxes toward a proposed new downtown arena for the San Antonio Spurs, newly released communications show the NBA franchise has been quietly cultivating relationships with leaders in Austin — including Mayor Kirk Watson.
The trove of text messages and emails between Spurs executives, Watson and his mayoral staff offer a behind-the-scenes look at how the team has expanded its presence up Interstate 35, even as voters here debate whether to approve hundreds of millions of dollars to go toward the downtown development project dubbed “Project Marvel.”
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Spurs’ growing footprint in Austin
The Spurs have played two regular-season home games in Austin each year since 2023, part of what the team brands as its “I-35 Series.” The move has been widely seen as an effort to broaden the franchise’s fan base in Central Texas.
While Spurs officials have publicly downplayed any intention to leave San Antonio, private outreach to Austin’s political leadership shows a deliberate effort to build relationships in the state’s capital.
Following a public records request from KSAT Investigates, the City of Austin released hundreds of pages of emails and text messages sent between Spurs leadership, Watson and his mayoral staff and other Austin city councilmembers.
In October 2023, Austin-based Spurs Sports & Entertainment (SS&E) executive Brandon James texted Watson an invitation to a private wine event with legendary coach Gregg Popovich.
James described the gathering as a “very deliberate plan to get the right people in the room.” The event, originally scheduled for the following month, was later postponed, records show.
In February, just days after the Spurs wrapped up their latest Austin appearances at the Moody Center, James followed up by thanking Watson for his support.
Spurs legend Sean Elliott (left) and then-recent Spurs draft pick Victor Wembanyama speak during a welcome event at the Arneson River Theater in June 2023. (KSAT)
Other messages show Watson and his staff were invited to multiple Spurs gatherings:
In the summer of 2023, mayoral aides received an email invitation to a downtown San Antonio event at the Arneson River Theater to welcome superstar Victor Wembanyama.
That same year, Spurs Chairman and Managing Partner Peter J. Holt personally invited Watson to an exclusive after-party following one of the team’s Austin games.
Spurs CEO R.C. Buford also emailed Watson in March 2024 about a “unique opportunity to hear from Spurs leaders and players about our burgeoning presence in Austin.”
Spurs: Communication with Watson not related to relocation
Watson did not respond to an inquiry from KSAT seeking comment for this story.
A spokeswoman for Spurs Sports & Entertainment said such invitations are routine when the team plays outside San Antonio and have no connection to moving the franchise.
“These gatherings are about celebrating the Spurs, building relationships and thanking those fans and supporters,” Assistant Vice President of Corporate Communications Liberty Swift said via email. “They are not connected in any way to relocation. The Spurs are proud to call San Antonio home. That has been true for more than 50 years, and it remains true today as we continue to invest in this community and in its future.”
At least five other Austin city councilmembers received emails from Spurs officials, records show, although a majority of those messages were related to the team providing tickets to games for the franchise’s G League affiliate, the Austin Spurs.
Expert says no immediate threat to Spurs leaving San Antonio
Despite the optics, sports economics expert Dr. Geoffrey Propheter of the University of Colorado Denver said fans shouldn’t panic — yet.
“There has been no threat, direct or indirect, from the Holts, at least publicly, that says they are going to move,” Propheter said. “This is not the Baltimore Colts, where you are going to drive off in the middle of the night in your U-Haul trucks.”
The Baltimore Colts used large trucks to physically move their operations to Indianapolis in the middle of the night in March 1984. (KSAT)
According to Propheter, even if the proposition vote fails in the Nov. 4 election, it is still too early for fans of the Spurs to be alarmed.
He pointed out that voters in San Francisco voted down funding for a new Major League Baseball stadium for the Giants four separate times before voters approved an infrastructure support package that allowed the project to finally move forward.
Early voting for the Nov. 4 election begins Monday. If approved, Proposition B would commit more than $300 million in Bexar County venue taxes toward building a new Spurs arena downtown — a move supporters say would keep the franchise in San Antonio long term.
>> Who will pay for a new Spurs arena in downtown San Antonio? KSAT Explains
The City of San Antonio has already agreed to contribute $489 million to the project, which will include a downtown entertainment district.
The Spurs would contribute at least $500 million, plus any cost overruns that arise.
The Spurs are scheduled to return to Austin’s Moody Center for two more “home” games in February 2026.
Watch below: KSAT breaks down San Antonio’s downtown Spurs arena, including the cost, impact and what’s at stake
Read more reporting on the KSAT Investigates page.
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