Warriors, Spurs set to eclipse NBA attendance record in Alamodome on Friday
Ron KroichickJan. 12, 2023Updated: Jan. 12, 2023 7:17 p.m.
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Work crews begin the tedious work of laying out the Spurs basketball court at the Alamodome on Monday, Jan. 9, 2023. As part of the organization’s 50th anniversary, the Spurs will play the Golden State Warriors at the Alamodome to a potentially record-breaking audience. The Spurs are looking to have nearly 65,000 fans pack the dome on Friday.
Kin Man Hui, San Antonio Express-News / Staff photographer
SAN ANTONIO — Friday night at the Alamodome, the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs will play before the most spectators at any regular-season or postseason game in NBA history.
As part of the celebration of their 50th season in San Antonio, the Spurs are hosting the game at the Alamodome rather than the AT&T Center, their usual arena. That’s a nod to the franchise’s history: The Spurs played home games at the dome for nine seasons, from 1993-94 through 2001-02.
The court was pushed to one side back then, with a giant curtain blocking off many seats. Not this time. The Spurs positioned the court right in the middle of the enormous indoor stadium, so they can maximize ticket sales and eclipse the NBA record. They had sold more than 64,000 tickets as of Thursday.
The current record of 62,046 was set March 27, 1998, when Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls played Atlanta at the Georgia Dome. The largest crowd in league history was at the 2010 All-Star Game, when 108,713 people packed Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Work crews begin the tedious work of laying out the Spurs basketball court at the Alamodome on Monday, Jan. 9, 2023. As part of the organization’s 50th anniversary, the Spurs will play the Golden State Warriors at the Alamodome to a potentially record-breaking audience. The Spurs are looking to have nearly 65,000 fans pack the dome on Friday.
Kin Man Hui, San Antonio Express-News / Staff photographer
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr brings a unique vantage point to all this, because he played for the Spurs for three years when they called the Alamodome home. Kerr was also on the Bulls’ team that played in the Georgia Dome in ’98.
As he recalled, the court for the Bulls-Hawks game was in one corner, leaving thousands of fans unable to see it. Instead, they watched the action on the giant scoreboard.
“This is pretty unique,” Kerr said Thursday night at the Alamodome, after the Warriors held a light practice. “This is like a Final Four setup. … There’s a reason we’re here right now. We wanted the players to get a lot of shots up and feel the arena, feel the backdrop.”
Stephen Curry has some long-ago dome experience: He scored 33 points in Davidson’s Sweet 16 win over Wisconsin in March 2008 at Ford Field in Detroit, then added 25 in an Elite Eight loss to Kansas.
“It’s just getting used to the depth perception,” he said after Thursday night’s practice. “It doesn’t take that long to calibrate, but today’s session helps. … It’s a cool vibe.”
Another historical nugget: Warriors guard Donte DiVincenzo scored 31 points in the 2018 NCAA championship game at the Alamodome, before a crowd of 67,831. The Wildcats beat Michigan and a backup freshman guard named Jordan Poole (who scored three).
