With Spurs, Wembanyama visiting Austin in 2023-24, 'footprint' continues to expand

The San Antonio Spurs released their schedule for the 2023-24 season Thursday, and it includes another trip to Austin, facing off with the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets on March 15 and the Brooklyn Nets on March 17 — smack dab in the middle of South by Southwest.

The Spurs made the trek north twice last season for games at Moody Center, beating the Portland Trail Blazers and losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Both were sellouts. And with No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama of the Spurs perhaps going against one of the best players in the world, Nikola Jokic, this season's matchups will be strong, too.

"Obviously, drafting Victor was a big deal, a tipping point in our organization's timeline," said Brandon James, a senior vice president in the Spurs' front office. "In terms of Austin, it's interesting because when I got here the perception was, 'What are the Spurs doing here? That's interesting,' and now it's like 'Can you come back more? Can you play the whole season here?’ ”

As fun as that may sound, Austin will never become the permanent home of the Spurs. However, the organization does want to connect with the city, as James confirmed a desire to be in Austin "every year." The two becoming a metroplex similar to Dallas-Fort Worth seems inevitable, with it being described as a "when" not an "if."

And since it's a "when," the Spurs want to make sure they're not late to the party.

"We don't want to be playing catch-up and then try to figure out how we integrate best into that. We want to be the tip of the spear and really be a part of that melding of the two very distinct cities," Jamess said.

So how does the process begin? Increasing the number of games in Austin is the first thing that comes to mind, but plenty of factors are at play when discussing that. Players and executives integrating with the city will also be crucial, and the G League affiliate will be a big part of that — not only because it's based in Austin, but because one of the newest members of the Spurs is former Longhorn Jabari Rice.

As a two-way player, Rice will spend plenty of time away from San Antonio. A favorite among UT fans, he'll be a great player to utilize in developing the presence of the Spurs in Austin.

"We're super happy to have him aboard. University of Texas and Austin are sort of synonymous with each other," James said. "Fans get ... just as excited for Sir'Jabari as they do for some of our other players."

The Spurs aren't leaving San Antonio anytime soon. However, basketball is always growing, and for the Spurs, that means making the first move to reach out to their neighbors.

"Our home is in San Antonio. What we're trying to do is expand our footprint ... and integrating into Austin is a big part of that," James said.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Spurs, with rookie Wembanyama, face Nuggets, Nets in Austin in March