Sean Elliott discusses the Spurs’ return to the Alamodome

This season, the Spurs celebrate 50 years as an NBA franchise. There are many special events and games being played to commemorate this milestone, but there is one game in particular this season that could go into the record books.

On January 13, 2023, the Spurs will host the Golden State Warriors from the Alamodome.

For those too young to remember, the Alamodome is where the Spurs played for nearly a decade between the HemisFair Arena 1980s and the turn of the century AT&T Center (previously SBC Center) beginning in 2002.

The Alamodome is where the Spurs won their first NBA title. And it is where Spurs legend Sean Elliott made one of the franchise biggest and best known shots, “The Memorial Day Miracle.”

Earlier today, Elliott gathered with members of the media to reminisce about that shot, share about the history of the Spurs relationship with the Alamodome, and to promote January’s big game.

For starters, in the heyday of the Fiesta Spurs Alamodome era, there was a huge blue curtain that cut the football field-sized stadium into a basketball court. Even with the partition, 35,000 seats afforded fans one of the largest availabilities in the NBA, even by today’s standard. By comparison, the AT&T Center seats 18,481.

In 1999, the Spurs adjusted the seating to nearly 40,000 for a Finals game.

This January, the entirety of the Alamodome will be available for fans, some 65,000+ seats. If every ticket is sold, it will surpass a 1998 record set by the Chicago Bulls.

Does Sean Elliott think Spurs fans will make that happen?

“I don’t think there’s any question. I think this is what our fans are all bout. 50 years of celebrating this franchise...it’s a way for us to give back to our fans and celebrate 50 years of an incredible franchise. The way it’s set up right now, tomorrow tickets go on sale 2500 $10 tickets, straight $10 tickets, those or for our fans who sometimes don’t get the opportunity to come to Spurs games.”

When it comes to fans, 65,000 people in one spot is an enormous amount to adjust to.

“Our fans are some of the loudest in the country, this place it going to rock...it’s going to be hard to keep the noise down...our fans, for years, have gotten us through tough times when we were down. They cheered us on and spurred on rallies, so when you have those 65,000 people here and they’re yelling and screaming, it’s going to inspire you.”

The current Spurs roster features quite a young line-up and a lot of inexperienced players. Knowing that the team’s record may not lead to sold out games at the AT&T Center, what advice does Sean have regarding filling this January’s big game?

“For me personally, and for the fans, the fun thing to watch is to watch the growth. To watch how the team gets better from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. We saw that last year...now starting all over again. It’s going to be something fun to watch...so you don’t want to miss out on the opportunity to watch them while they are young, watch the potential, watch what they can become. That’s why I get excited.”

Tickets go on sale for tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. on the Spurs website and the Spurs mobile app. Don’t miss this historic game.