History of San Antonio Spurs in Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: July 14, 2026

The San Antonio Spurs are a professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas, competing in the NBA's Western Conference. Founded in 1967 as the Dallas Chaparrals, the franchise moved to San Antonio in 1973. The Spurs are renowned for their sustained success, highlighted by five NBA championships (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014). A cornerstone of their identity was the 'Big Three' era featuring Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginóbili, led by long-time head coach Gregg Popovich. Known for their selfless, team-oriented 'Spurs Basketball' style, the organization is widely regarded as one of the most successful and well-run franchises in professional sports history. Today, the team is entering a new chapter, anchored by rising young talents and a commitment to their storied culture of excellence.

1970: Rebranding to Texas Chaparrals

During the 1970 season, the basketball franchise moved away from the "Dallas" name to rebrand as the "Texas" Chaparrals in an effort to attract a broader regional audience, playing games in locations like Fort Worth and Lubbock.

1971: Return to Dallas and Regional Strategy Failure

By 1971, the regional experiment with the Texas Chaparrals was deemed a failure, leading the team to drop the regional identity and return to Dallas full-time to play their games at Moody Coliseum and the Dallas Convention Center Arena.

1972: Texas Chaparrals Financial Relocation Crisis

During the 1972 season, the struggling Texas Chaparrals faced significant financial instability, leading their ownership group to seek a sale and potential relocation. A group of 35 San Antonio businessmen, spearheaded by Angelo Drossos, John Schaefer, and Red McCombs, successfully negotiated a three-year lend-lease agreement with the Dallas-based owners to bring the team to San Antonio.

1973: Rebranding to the San Antonio Spurs

During the 1973 season, the team transitioned from the Dallas Chaparrals to the San Antonio Spurs, adopting a new black, silver, and white color scheme that replaced the previous red, white, and blue motif.

February 7, 1974: George Gervin's Spurs Debut

On February 7, 1974, George Gervin officially made his debut for the San Antonio Spurs following a contentious acquisition from the Virginia Squires that was initially challenged by the ABA.

1974: Spurs Coaching Change and Tactical Shift

During the 1974-75 season, the San Antonio Spurs fired head coach Tom Nissalke due to dissatisfaction with the team's slow pace. He was replaced by Bob Bass, who implemented a faster, 'schoolyard' style of basketball. This transition led the team to finish the 1974 season with a 51-33 record and a second-place standing in the West, though they ultimately lost to the Pacers in the playoffs.

June 1976: ABA–NBA Merger

In June 1976, the ABA–NBA merger officially took place, resulting in the San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, and New York Nets joining the National Basketball Association for the 1976–77 season.

1976: San Antonio Spurs Enter the NBA

During the 1976-77 season, the San Antonio Spurs successfully transitioned into the NBA following the ABA merger, finishing with a 44-38 record despite facing restrictive handicaps such as limited draft picks and reduced television revenue.

1976: ABA–NBA Merger

In 1976, the San Antonio Spurs became one of only four teams from the American Basketball Association (ABA) to successfully transition into the National Basketball Association (NBA) following the leagues' merger.

1977: George Gervin Wins NBA Scoring Title

During the 1977-78 season, George Gervin secured the NBA scoring title in a dramatic fashion. After David Thompson set a high bar, Gervin scored 63 points in a game against the New Orleans Jazz to surpass him, while also leading the San Antonio Spurs to a Central Division title with a 52-30 record.

1979: 1979 NBA Eastern Conference Finals Heartbreak

During the 1979 NBA conference finals, the San Antonio Spurs held a 3–1 series lead against the Washington Bullets but ultimately lost the series after dropping the final three games, including a 107–105 defeat in Game 7 of the 1979 playoffs.

1980: Spurs Transition to the 1980s

At the start of 1980, the San Antonio Spurs began the new decade looking to build upon their 1970s success, eventually moving into the Midwest Division of the Western Conference during the 1980–81 season.

1981: 1981 Western Conference Playoffs

During the 1981 postseason, the San Antonio Spurs suffered a first-round elimination after being defeated by the Houston Rockets.

1982: 1982 Western Conference Playoff Loss

In 1982, the San Antonio Spurs were defeated by the Los Angeles Lakers in a four-game playoff series, failing to win any home games during the matchup.

1983: 1983 Western Finals Defeat

In 1983, the San Antonio Spurs reached the Western Finals but lost in six games to the Los Angeles Lakers, despite managing two road victories at the Forum.

1984: End of the George Gervin Era

Following the 1984–85 season, the San Antonio Spurs traded their star player George Gervin to the Chicago Bulls, marking the conclusion of a significant era for the franchise in 1984.

1989: Beginning of David Robinson's Career

In 1989, David Robinson began his legendary playing career with the San Antonio Spurs, which would continue until 2003.

1995: Return to Conference Finals

In 1995, the San Antonio Spurs successfully reached the conference finals for the first time since their early 1980s playoff appearances.

1997: Beginning of Tim Duncan's Career

In 1997, Tim Duncan joined the San Antonio Spurs, starting a long and successful tenure with the franchise that lasted until 2016.

1999: NBA Finals Attendance Record

In 1999, the San Antonio Spurs established a record for the largest crowd ever to attend an NBA Finals game while playing at the Alamodome.

1999: First NBA Championship

In 1999, the San Antonio Spurs secured their first NBA championship title in franchise history.

2000: Start of Consecutive 50-Win Seasons

Beginning in the 1999–2000 season, the Spurs embarked on a record-breaking streak of 18 consecutive seasons with at least 50 wins.

2003: Rodeo Road Trip and Winning Streak

Starting in 2003, the San Antonio Spurs began the annual 'Rodeo Road Trip' during February, and during that same year, they achieved the longest single road-trip winning streak in NBA history, winning eight out of nine games.

2003: Second NBA Championship

The San Antonio Spurs won their second NBA championship title during the 2003 season, marking the end of David Robinson's iconic playing career with the team.

2005: Third NBA Championship

The San Antonio Spurs successfully claimed their third NBA championship title in 2005.

2007: Fourth NBA Championship

In 2007, the San Antonio Spurs achieved their fourth NBA championship title.

2014: Spirits of St. Louis Revenue Sharing Agreement Termination

In 2014, thirty-eight years after the initial merger, the owners of the former ABA team Spirits of St. Louis reached a final agreement with the NBA to conclude their perpetual television profit-sharing payments in exchange for a single lump-sum settlement of $500 million.

2014: Fifth NBA Championship

The San Antonio Spurs reached another pinnacle in 2014 by winning their fifth NBA championship.

2016: Conclusion of Tim Duncan's Tenure

The year 2016 marked the conclusion of Tim Duncan's distinguished playing career with the San Antonio Spurs, which began in 1997.

May 2017: Top Winning Percentage Achievement

As of May 2017, the San Antonio Spurs held the highest winning percentage of any franchise across major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada when measured over the preceding three decades.