Spurs Schedule: 5 Most Notable National TV Games for San Antonio in 2024-25

Victor Wembanyama & Co. are bringing nationwide attention to the San Antonio Spurs that hasn’t been seen in a decade — but a few of the many games in front of a national audience are especially notable.

Quentin Corpuel | Aug 22, 2024

Nov 2, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) walks off the court against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center. / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

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In a sport where one player can substantially swing a team’s fortunes, there hasn't been as big of a benefactor in recent memory as the San Antonio Spurs.

One of the many tangible effects of Victor Wembanyama’s arrival has been the increase in national attention paid to the Spurs. Just a couple of seasons ago, few outside eyes were on the Silver & Black; the 2022-23 Spurs were featured on national television just four times — which was four times more than they were the season prior.

Then, Wembanyama came along in June of that offseason and everything changed.

The Spurs received 19 nationally televised games last season, and the league seems content on continuing to feature its fastest-rising superstar. Including NBA TV, San Antonio will be playing on national television 21 times throughout the 2024-25 NBA season.

From San Antonio to Los Angeles; New York to Paris; the big-time networks will be following the Silver & Black all over not just the continental United States, but across the pond as well.

Out of those 21 nationally televised games, here are five of the most notable:

1) San Antonio Spurs at Dallas Mavericks, Thursday, Oct. 24

Just like last season, the Spurs will open their season against their Northern cross-state rival on national television.

In front of ESPN cameras, the Mavericks eked out a 126-119 victory at Frost Bank Center in last season’s contest, This time around, San Antonio and Dallas will face off at American Airlines Center on TNT — the first game of a doubleheader on the network that will be followed by the Oklahoma City Thunder taking on the Denver Nuggets.

Feb 14, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) looks to move the ball past Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) during the fist quarter at the American Airlines Center. / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

These two teams will play at the tail end of the NBA’s first few days of action, which means that the season debuts of Wembanyama and Luka Doncić will be saved for last.

It’s not surprising that the NBA is featuring the two Texas-sized superstars to close the first slew of opening games. It’ll give both Wembanyama and Doncić the opportunity to remind the league of how electric they can be.

Tipoff for that contest is set for Oct. 24 at 6:30 p.m. Central.

2) San Antonio Spurs vs. Los Angeles Lakers, Friday, Nov. 15

After last season’s inaugural NBA Cup that proved to be a rousing success, its second iteration will feature a matchup on ESPN that could be considered a passing of the baton between the past and potential future face of the league.

Intersections of past and future megastars don’t happen often, which is natural considering there haven’t been many players throughout NBA history with the level of influence that LeBron James, Michael Jordan and other legends have had, but when those matchups do occur, the sights, sounds and results are immortalized.

This isn’t to say that Wembanyama will reach that level, but those who have followed even a sliver of his basketball career have likely thought that he can get there. This matchup against James, the personification of that seldom-reached basketball summit, can easily be etched into NBA history as a battle between two different eras of superstardom.

Tipoff for that contest is set for Nov. 15 at 6:30 p.m. Central.

3) San Antonio Spurs at New York Knicks, Wednesday, Dec. 25

For the 11th time ever — and the first since 2016 — the Spurs will be working on Santa Claus’ lone off day.

Not only that, San Antonio will travel to the Mecca of Christmas basketball, as the Knicks have played on Christmas the most (54 times) of any NBA team.

The Spurs and Knicks will play at 11 a.m. Central on ESPN, which is unsurprising for two reasons:

New York has kicked off the Christmas Day slate for three consecutive seasons, and the first game’s start time is convenient for another prominent NBA-viewing audience: France, where the game will tip off at 6 p.m. local time. Few dinner time television programs can compare to the prominence of France’s biggest basketball star playing at the World’s Most Famous Arena.

Nov 8, 2023; New York, New York, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) controls the ball against New York Knicks guard RJ Barrett (9) and New York Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) during the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The list of NBA stars that have put together memorable performances on Christmas at Madison Square Garden is incredibly long. This year will mark the 40th anniversary of Bernard King scoring 60 points in MSG on Christmas. Derrick Rose, Kyrie Irving and Patrick Ewing have all hit game-winning shots on the holiday. Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant each registered multiple monster games in the Garden.

This season, Wembanyama has a chance to add his name to both lists.

Tipoff on Christmas Day is slated for 11 a.m. Central.

4) San Antonio Spurs at Indiana Pacers, Thursday, Jan. 23

The NBA has held regular and preseason games in Mexico, Brazil, the Philippines and all over Europe, but there’s a good chance that this year’s contests in France will be the most hyped of them all.

Wembanyama and the Spurs will head to Paris in late January for a pair of games against the Pacers. While San Antonio had a French superstar the last time they visited France in 2006 (Tony Parker), the fanfare will likely be a little greater 18 years later for Wembanyama’s homecoming.

“Playing in Paris has been an incredible experience for our organization in the past and we are thrilled for the opportunity to be a part of The NBA Paris Games 2025,” San Antonio Spurs CEO and President R.C. Buford said back in April. “We are excited to continue to honor that legacy by purposefully connecting and engaging with our fans in France on and off the court.”

Wembanyama’s return contest to France is slated to tipoff Jan. 23 at 1 p.m. Central.

5) San Antonio Spurs vs. Phoenix Suns, Thursday, Feb. 20

Unlike most of San Antonio’s nationally televised games, Wembanyama won’t be the spotlight when Phoenix visits the Lone Star State in late February.

For the first time since Feb. 28, 2007, former Texas Longhorn Kevin Durant will play an organized basketball game in Austin when the Suns play the Spurs at the Moody Center — home of both the Longhorns’ men’s and women’s basketball teams.

Few NBA players could say that they played a professional game in the same arena where they played college ball, but this year, Durant can say he did. Although Moody Center wasn’t around when Durant was in college — the arena opened in 2022 — the Slim Reaper will be going back to his college days.

“Having Kevin Durant for a TNT night game is just validation of all of the hard work our group has put in for the intentionality around Austin,” Spurs Sports & Entertainment SVP of Strategic Growth Brandon James explained. “We’re excited for the fans to get to experience that atmosphere once again.”

Mar 23, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) faces off against Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) in the first half at Frost Bank Center. / Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports

This contest is a part of a two-game stretch in Austin, as the Spurs will play the Detroit Pistons at the Moody Center the day after they battle the Suns, but unless the Pistons make a miraculous turnaround and elevate themselves into playoff convention, San Antonio’s contest with Phoenix should generate a lot more buzz.

Tipoff from the first contest is set for Feb. 20 at 8:30 p.m. Central.

Published Aug 22, 2024

QUENTIN CORPUEL