San Antonio Spurs Chairman Peter J. Holt has assuaged fans' fears of the five-time National Basketball Association (NBA) champions pulling up stakes and moving up Interstate 35 to Austin or elsewhere, saying the team is staying put in the Alamo City, according to a report from Austin ABC affiliate KVUE.
"I was raised in San Antonio and this city helped define the foundation of the Spurs," Holt said in a letter the South Texas franchise shared on Twitter. "The Spurs are as much a part of San Antonio as San Antonio is a part of the Spurs."
KVUE reported that the Spurs will play four games away from AT&T Center next season, with Austin and Mexico pegged as hosts.
The team's old home, the Alamodome, will be the site of some games as well.
The plan apparently frayed the silver and black faithful's nerves, prompting many to wonder whether the team will bid the city adios after nearly 50 years.
The Spurs themselves are the descendants of a relocated ballclub, the Dallas/Texas Chaparrals of the defunct American Basketball Association.
According to Austin NBC affiliate KXAN, Bexar County owns AT&T Center.
The county's commissioners court earlier this month expressed skepticism toward the Spurs' request to play at Austin's new Moody Center on the campus of the University of Texas twice during their 2022-2023 campaign, per KXAN.
The commissioners eventually signed off on a one-year trial for the Spurs to play home games away from San Antonio, KVUE reported.
Austin is home to Austin FC of Major League Soccer (MLS).
Bexar County Commissioner Justin Rodriguez deduced that the Spurs are eager to expand their fanbase but said the team is steadfast in remaining in Texas' second-largest city, according to KVUE.
"We also received a full-throated commitment from the Spurs that they are planning to stay here [San Antonio]," Rodriguez said, per the station.