Which Rivalry Is the NBA Trying to Push on Spurs?

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jonah Kubicek | Last updated Dec 17, 2024 6:14 AM ET

San Antonio, as celebrated by the Spurs, is an incredibly vibrant city known for the River Walk, the Alamo, and, most importantly, its massive Hispanic population. According to the 2020 census, San Antonio is 63.8 percent Hispanic, the most of any American city with more than a million residents, and the second-most of any city with more than 500,000 people, trailing only El Paso.

The Spurs, through various community efforts, theme nights, and their ever-popular Fiesta jerseys, have done their part to pay homage to their city's unique makeup, but the NBA has recently been looking to expand into Mexico City.

If the NBA grants Mexico City a team, the Spurs would be a natural rival. The Hispanic culture is ingrained in both cities, and San Antonio would be the closest NBA city to the new franchise. Adam Silver has listed Las Vegas, Seattle, and Mexico City as ideal expansions.

However, in a recent article for The Athletic, Joe Vardon outlines possible issues with expanding. For starters, Mexico City Arena, which would meet NBA specifications, is a long drive from the wealthy neighborhood where players would live. Mexico City is twice as congested as Los Angeles, making getting to games incredibly hard.

On top of that, crime is a factor, although Mexico City is safer than both Memphis and Detroit. Any added infrastructure, like a training facility, would be hard to build, as the city lacks space and occupies an old lake bed.

While the NBA is eager to expand into international markets, Mexico City, right now, presents a logistical nightmare. Unlike the NFL, the NBA has offered no indication that London, Paris, or Berlin would be viable expansion cities. Mexico has embraced the NBA in recent years, and adding a team there makes a lot of sense, but for now it is probably more of a dream than a reality.

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This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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