Reasons why..

[TOP-CHERRY]

^Heck yeah!

[G-Nob]

Dude, if you remember some of that, you should write about it, I know I would like to hear as much as you are able to remember about all of this.

sweet.

I swear I would if I could. All of my information is through my parents since I was born in 1976. I can remember my dad getting some of the spurs Elvis tickets when Elvis came to SA and George Karl & a few other players went to the Elvis concert with my mom and some friends. George was so shy back then he sat next to my mom the whole concert and only said a few words during the show. --- Some of the other players were so good to my family. Coby Dietrich was close with my dad. When I was a toddler he'd pick me up and help me put the ball through the hoop on the court. -- I heard countless stories of the baseline bums.-- Another detail is my dad said he ordered the old spurs court through some company in Corpus shortly after the new seats were inserted to apease the NBA rules for seat capsity in hemisfair arena. --All I can recollect right now, but I wish he had stayed in SA because I sure would've like to of gotten a job with the organization is some way.

[TOP-CHERRY]

^ That is really awesome.

[David Bowie]

I became a fan in '99, before the Spurs won their first championship. Before that ,I was a Utah Jazz fan and watched basketball only casually.

I was just so happy when the Spurs won their first championship, and especially since I was going through some difficult times that summer. It just brought a sile to my face. And I just fell in love with all the players, especially Tim. Also, my grandfather is a big basketball fan and became a Spurs fan because of me, and its really great to watch the Spurs together with him.

[G-Nob]

Its seems like a huge weight lifted off spurs fans shoulders in 1999. All of the close calls, woulda coulda shoulda's, The 1991 playoff run, the 1995 playoff run. Those pesky Utah Jazz series'. All of it seemed boil up leading to '99. There was so much to celebrate. People tried to take it away from us, saying it wasn't fair because it was a shortened season. But guess what, we beat the best teams in the league that year. We swept shaq and kobe, we tore through Porland(who had the best record that year) and we beat the best team in the east in the knicks. 2003 and 2005 validated (and in some cases, vendicated) '99 and our place in nba history. It feels so good to be up there with the lakers, bulls, and celtics. We may not be that far yet as far as championships are concerned, but I think when this dynasty is done, people will say this is the time when the good guys dominated.

[FromWayDowntown]

I became a Spurs fan largely because I grew up in San Antonio and they were the one team that I could follow on a daily basis, given the limited media that existed in the late 70's and early 80's. I remember, as a kid growing up in San Antonio, listening to Sam Smith's radio broadcasts and simulcasts (WOAI and the old Rogers Cablevision) in the late 70's and early 80's.

I also remember going to my first game at HemisFair Arena in 1982 or 1983, and seeing the Spurs play the Nuggets in one of the many barn-burners those teams used to play in the early 80's. Though I was only a child, and though my parents had no interest in those Spurs teams, I managed to get to at least 1 game every season, whether the Spurs were doing well or not. I was captivated by the players and their athleticism; I was heartbroken every time the Spurs lost. I remember the Spurs move to the Western Conference, the "trade" of Stan Albeck and the birth of CottonBall, the front lawn interview of George Gervin after his trade to Chicago, the red chameleon (before it gained a place in Spurs lore), and the shock of the Elliott-Rodman trade.

I don't mean to disparage those who've come to the game late (I certainly welcome you to my life-long obsession), but I have to say that part of what has made the les in 1999, 2003, and 2005 so sweet for me was that I had swallowed the bitter pills of 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1990, and 1995, had stayed with the Spurs through the messes of the McHone and Weiss administrations and the miserable seasons between 85-86 and 89-90, and had learned the patience that came with waiting 2 years for David Robinson to save a faltering franchise. It was all of the struggles before 1999 that made that experience so wonderful -- I'll never forget the surreal moment of Jay Howard announcing that tickets for the NBA Finals would be on sale in San Antonio (with a "this is sweet" smile in his voice). I could fill this space with so many other things, but truly, I'm not sure how much 1999, 2003, and 2005 would have meant to me without the entire journey. It's been one of a ride.

[angel_luv]

I started really caring just before we drafted Tim. My Dad explained what kind of player Duncan was supposed to be, and what he was hopefully going to do for our franchise, so I started tuning in to see if he was right or not.

The '99 le Run really did it for me and I've been hooked ever since.

My story is the same, only you tell it better! = )

[angel_luv]

Why becoming a Spurs fan?

Couse you feel that is as closest as a NBA franchise can be if you are in Europe and like good basketball. Spurs without Parker and Manu are hardly the same team. Spurs without Oberto, Rasho and Beno seems... unnatural. Spurs without Pop? Need I say more?
So Spurs are great just for being a worldly team to observe. When thay play great, that is just too fine to discuss.

Tell it!! = )

Listen up people! Z speaks true!

[gospursgojas]

Ive been a spurs fan since '55

[Horry For 3!]

I have been a Spurs fan since I can remember. I have lived near San Antonio almost all of my life so the Spurs were everything to me.

[TimFan]

I am a spurs fan coz I love Duncan and DRob.

[Dex]

My story is the same, only you tell it better! = )

Cute. Great minds, they say.

It's definitely an awesome time to be a Spurs fan. Being able to see the Admiral go out on top is something that I will always cherish, because David Robinson has been such a huge icon in my life for as long as I can remember.

And now, being able to watch a guy like Tim is just amazing. I used to be semi-jealous of the Chicago fans that got to follow a guy like MJ in his prime, doing what he did best.

Now, we have our own legend that we can tell our kids, "I used to watch him own back in the day"

By that time, the term own should be in the dictionary.

[Brutalis]

I've told my once here a while back. But, I was 6 sitting at home watching a basketball game. It was Spurs @ Hornets and Robinson dropped 50 points and thats when I pretty much followed them. I wasnt an avid freak fan til around 11 or 12 mainly because I hadnt matured much to care. Around then I started reading boxscores of all NBA games and followed the Spurs through the Arkansas' paper. For christmas I got a DRob jersey that year, black with white plastic like lettering. It was made by Champion, damn I wish I still had that.

Yeah so since then I pretty much obsessed.

[E20]

Back around 1995-96, I was like 7 or 8 new to the country. I didn't know what the I was watching. But, after a while I liked the Housten Rockets cause of Drexler and Hakeem. Then I saw the Spurs play and I just liked the colors at first then when I became more acquanited with the game, I realized I picked a good squad, with class/respect and I had fun watching DRob and Timmy. Then when Ginobili and the other overseas players started coming in I got EVEN more interested and started to absorb as much info about basketball/Spurs.

[DieMrBond]

For me, the answer is simple. David Robinson.

At my school, like just about everywhere else - it was all about Jordan or Kemp. I decided, while Jordan was cool and all, i wasnt going to be a sheep. I saw a special on NBA Action (or some such show) about the Admiral, and i was hooked. Not really sure why (i was only like 10 at the time) but it sure seemed like a good idea. (which it was!)

Heck, i even bought the warm up suits with the pink on them ... and wore it!

The question my wife asks me all the time "if all of the players on the spurs, switched to another team, would you still be a fan of the spurs?" - yeah - go spurs. But then, i would have to be a fan of that other team too but i dont tell her that...

[Spurminator]

I played for them in the 80's, and I've been a fan ever since.

[hussker]

Moved to San Antonio in 1982, and spent many years getting in to the Hemisfair by bribing security friends with 64 oz Jim Beam bottles...They would get us in, we would move around to different seats and watch for our other friends, the ushers. There were certain seats close to the floor we could get to if the season ticket holders did not show up by the start of the Second Qtr. We did not have to move much during the 80's. I loved those guys! It also beat winning tix from the radio stations. Used to think we had good 46.00 seats in the mid 80's (expensive for then) only to finde we were usually parked in a corner of the arena behind a POLE! You know, those big white ones in the old Arena? Is anyone feeling my pain here? Things really took off when we got Dave. Seats were harder to come by and then came the move to the MoDome (Or as our Governor might say, the MoFo Dome...HAHAHA!). Less fan-friendly environment, but I do remember this...The 96-97 season. I had season tix about 13 rows back in the risors just beneath the basket. Those tickets were gold to me, until The Admiral got hurt. That season was one of humility. I remember how much we ALL hated Pop for firing a beloved Bob Hill. It was not Bob's fault that our starting center was Jaime Feick and that a VERY OLD Dominique Wilkins was our main threat from the field. I think David only played six games that year. If anyone ever tells you that they have always loved POP, you can rest assurred that they were not Spurs Fans prior to 1 A.D. (aka, 1998, the first year After Duncan). Introduce me to the person who liked Pop before we got Tim and I will meet a liar (Pop's family members and subordinates not included).

Anyhow, I remember EXACTLY where I was when we got the First Pick in the 97 lottery. I was listening to WOAI and was in the HEB Parking Lot at Nacogdoches and O'Connor. As I was leaving the parking lot, Stern announced the team that got the 1st round pick for the 97 draft. The Spurs won it and I cheered all the way home.

Right after that, I moved to Japan and Korea for the 1997-2002 timeframe. I cheered my boys on through the 99 strike ridden season and had to fend off the FAKER fans I worked with who wanted to try to asterisk my joy in the land of the rising sun. I was in SA for the 03 Championship and watched Game six a Champions on the Riverwalk, but had to fly to GA the next day for a week long TDY (military ya know). I missed the parties that week. In 04, I was sitting in a tent in Afghanistan and had to endure .04... As if Kabul was not depressing enough...

This year, upon my retirement from the USAF, my family and I moved to College Station during the playoffs. We watched every moment of every game wherever we were (took us awhile to buy a home). Thank God it went to Game Seven (though I was not thinking that after Game Six) because I got to go to the River Parade and the dome celebration over that weekend. If they had won game six, I would have missed the celebration during the week due to my new job post USAF Retirement.

I LOVE MY SPURS!!!!!! That is my story! What a great trip it has been and will continue to be.