I experienced watching Tim Duncan and Manu Ginóbili get their jersey retired in San Antonio at the AT&T Center. The last person of the trio to see was Tony Parker. Just like I had did for the previous two I found out when Tony Parker‘s jersey retirement ceremony was going to be at the beginning of the 2019-2020 season. Once I found out I told my dad again you have to get these tickets. Once again he pulled through and got the tickets. I can’t thank my dad enough for being able to make it happen every time. The Spurs played the Memphis Grizzlies that night but Unlike the last two times they ended up losing on Tony’s. That put a tiny damper on the festivities they were going to happen but I could still feel the energy in the stadium when Tony and his family came out to start the ceremony. Tony Parker was a great player in San Antonio it was a part of four championships alongside Tim and Manu. Tony is from France and over there he is like the Michael Jordan of basketball, so it’s pretty amazing to have such a great player play for a team that you are able to watch every single night growing up. As a kid I would try practice the floaters and spin moves that Tony could do on the court. His mid range shot was probably the best in the NBA during this time. The energy in the AT&T Center was very upbeat and it was just a sense of joy. When Tony Parker’s jersey was raised up to the rafters just like Tim’s and Manu’s it just brought a feeling of proudest to myself and I think everybody in the stadium. Just looking upon those three side-by-side and knowing what they did for our beloved team it’s truly astonishing. There may not ever be another trio like with the San Antonio Spurs had in the NBA, but for everyone who got to watch those three play they were able to see greatness.

So in my last post I talked about how I got the great experience to see Tim Duncan‘s retirement ceremony. His was all about respect. Manu Ginobili’s retirement game happened March 28, 2019 and just like Tim Duncan’s I found out the date at the beginning of the 2018-2019 season, and told my dad again to get those tickets. Once again he was able to pull through and get them. They played the Cleveland Cavaliers and also got the win for Manu. I love Tim Duncan and will always respect and remember his game. When I was growing up I wanted to be like him when playing basketball, but I wasn’t going to  grow to be 6’8. So being able to watch the Spurs every night on TV I started modeling my game after Manu Ginobili. The moves he would make the hustle plays on both sides of the ball. He was an amazing player that could make something out of nothing with the wildest moves and shots on the court. I want to be like Tim Duncan but I played like Manu. Being able to watch his retirement ceremony was a bit different than Tim Duncan’s, and it was something I wasn’t expecting. Theirs was about the same when it came down to remembering all the great things that they did in basketball for the San Antonio Spurs. When it came to people speaking about Manu you could feel more of the emotion behind everyone‘s speech, and the emotion that was in the AT&T Center. I have never been at the AT&T Center feeling the emotion that I felt that night and I really wanting to cry because he was so appreciative of the opportunities that he was able to have in life. Of course he was so happy with the championships that he won in San Antonio, but for him his greatest accomplishment was winning the Olympic gold in 2004 with Argentina. The difference between the two ceremonies was respect and emotion. Everything that I saw Manu do I tried to do on the court myself. It was a very emotional day to see the guy that I modeled my game after have his jersey retired in the rafters.

Hello again everyone hope that everyone stays safe during this pandemic. Today I want to reminisce about Tim Duncan and his retirement game. All my life since I was a kid I grow up a San Antonio Spurs fan as you all know and I got to watch Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili in the prime of their careers and win championships. I was also lucky enough to be at each one of those respective jersey retirement ceremonies. That is something that I will never forget and each one of the experiences was different in its own unique way. I remember for Tim Duncan‘s retirement came they announced at the beginning of the 2016-2017 season I was going to be December 18, 2016. As soon as I heard the news I called my dad and told him you have to get these tickets. He pulled through and got them. Experience of the game was good the Spurs are playing the New Orleans Pelicans. The Spurs handle business and got the one for Tim. I never been to a retirement ceremony so I didn’t know how it was going to go. There was about a 30 to 45 minute wait so that everything to get set up. Once the ceremony started you could just feel the emotion and respect in the stadium for Tim Duncan. Tim Duncan is hands-down the greatest San Antonio Spurs of all time. To be there and witnessed one of my childhood heroes jersey going up in the rafters was amazing. Of course he had coach Pop, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili speak as well as a few others and it was just amazing that to be apart of greatness and remember all the things that he has done. Tim Duncan‘s retirement ceremony was all about respect, how he played the game, how he became one of the best players in the NBA as well as the best for all time. That will stick with me forever.

Hello again to all the San Antonio Spurs fans I hope that everybody is staying safe during this COVID-19 pandemic. What a crazy time to be living in this world where we all are put in a shelter in place in our respective cities and states.This is something that may never ever happen again and I wish everyone the best on the fight against COVID-19. Along with a Spurs family and all their many fans I hope that one day we can get back to normal and enjoy the beloved spurs and all the other sports that we are missing out on. Normally I’ve been going into my experience at the Spurs games, but today I’m going to talk about what the spurs have been doing since COVID-19 started. First when the news broke out that some players might have COVID-19 the NBA stopped play all over the league immediately, and there have been no NBA games for just a little over a month now. This has been difficult for everybody who works at the stadium all the way to ownership figuring out how they’re going to help out their employees. I believe they have put a plan in place to do so where they can send checks to their employees for the remainder of the seasons games that they were going to work. Along with that the Spurs fan pages are well alive and reminiscing about the good old days. Whenever I search through my social media accounts and either find the Spurs Account or other fan pages of the Spurs. People are always talking about the future being optimistic that the Spurs will get back to winning soon. They are also posting all the championship wins and record the Spurs have set over the years. The Spurs fan base is such a unique one because you really do feel a part of a family. When I attend games it feels as if everyone is a part of a big family just there watching the Spurs play their game. It can be so electric and emotional at the AT&T Center when the Spurs are given it their best to win and also when they have a tough game and we lose. Feeling the emotion in the stadium is one of my favorite parts. So in all during this crisis that we are all in. I hope that eventually the spurs get back to the court and we can feel the emotion that the team brings us and hopefully you can make a game when they turn back to basketball. Everyone stay safe.

Once again thank you to everybody that is reading my blog. In my last few post I have talked about my first Spurs game and my experience. Now I am going to continue upon them and talk about the next couple of games that I attended. After my first Spurs game I knew I had to go to more. Every time when my dad had a chance to take me, my brother, and my mom he would. Every time that I would get back to the AT&T Center to watch another Spurs game the first thing I would always do was go back to the trophy case to look at them again. Once I got done with that I would  go to a new part of the arena that I had not been to yet. As I began to get older and my parents trusted me a little more to go by myself. I started to explore and one of the things I found was the kids H-E-B fun zone. The H-E-B fun zone was found on the second floor of the AT&T Center. Every so often the staff mixes it up and put different games up there for kids to play. The one that is always constant is the one you can fine at any any carnival, or kids pizza party and that is the pop a shot or shooting hoops. That has always been my favorite game as a kid and will continue to always be my favorite game to play. The H-E-B fun zone is a very great family environment because across the way they also have a bar scene with food for parents that is directly across from the kids play area. The kids can enjoy playing games while the parents can enjoy food and drinks. As well as continue to watch the excitement of the game that is still going on. The H-E-B fun zone is one of my favorite spots to be in the AT&T Center. People don’t always have to be at their seats to enjoy the game, and this is one of the best spots to enjoy the game from.

Thanks everyone for returning to the blog and continuing to read my post. As I said in my last post this one, I’m going to talk about what we did at halftime and how the second half went. At half time my parents would take me to the gift shop and look around at all the Spurs gear that they had. It was amazing to see almost anything and everything spurs that you could find in that store. Anything from caps, shirts, and pants. To all the players jerseys, basketballs, household items. The thing that was probably most impressive to me was that they had authentic jerseys, and had exactly what the players were on the bench. All and all there was really never anything that I wanted to get in there plus everything is so expensive. I would recommend only if you couldn’t find it somewhere else, and you really wanted it then get it. Other than that, don’t waste your money, unless it might be your only Spurs game ever and you want something to remember the game. We returning back to our seats for the second half. I don’t really remember who they played the first time that I went, but I do know that they were in a tight game. The atmosphere of having the crowd cheering and chanting “Go Spurs Go” is amazing. Also, to be a part of that crowd and chant go Spurs go when I had always heard it on TV as a kid was a dream come true. The Spurs came down the wire of the game and ended up winning by only a few points, but the win was magical. Just like the first half the second half went by even faster, before I could really analyze the game it was over. Just like that. Even though the game felt like it had gone by so fast I enjoyed my first experience of being at a Spurs game. Everything that I got to experience made me want to go back for more.

Hello again to everybody that is reading this blog. I hope that everyone is enjoying the first few post and I appreciate everybody that has looked at them. Continuing on from my last post the first few Spurs games that I went to in my life at AT&T Center were very overwhelming. Like I said in my last post the first five or six games I was getting my feet wet. When I finally got to my seats in my very first game, I was just in shock that I was watching NBA players play the same game that I play in my front driveway. Also, looking around the stadium and seeing how big it was and how many people were in attendance was incredible. Looking up into the rafters and seeing the retired numbers and championships banners that Spurs had won was a feeling that I had which was a proud feeling that the team I’m watching tonight and rooting for is a very successful and accomplished NBA team. That feeling of being proud of my team happens to me every time I go to a Spurs game. As the game was beginning to start and I had settled into my seat I was in awe of the players, and the atmosphere that I was in. As a young kid still learning the game of basketball. I watching very intensely at every move every player made on the court to see what I could pick up and learn. My perspective of when I was a kid to now being a lot older is much different, but at the time I wanted to enjoy the game and also learn from the pros. The game goes by much quicker in person then watching it on TV. I believe it’s because I really watching the game and when there’s a timeout and a commercial break there’s always some sort of activity going on the court to pass that time. Whereas when I watch it on TV there’s always boring commercials that come on and it makes it feel like the game is never going to return. Before I knew it, it was halftime and that was a very quick 2 quarters. What we did at halftime and returning to the second half will come in the next post stay tuned into reading. Thanks everyone.

Hello again to everyone that is reading this blog. Again, I want to appreciate everyone that is reading this post. In my first post I talked about what this blog is about and I hope that everyone wants to eventually make it to their first Spurs game, and have a great time where you want to go to more. When going to my first Spurs game I was so excited that I didn’t know what I wanted to see first the championship trophies, where my seats were, the gift shop, or the kid’s games. Everything was hitting me at once. I found that I couldn’t get to everything that I wanted to see and enjoy it without getting there at least 45-30 minutes before the game, and even like that time goes by quick. By the time you’re in line waiting to get into the stadium to when you find your seats and get some food before the game it’s already about to start even when I have arrived 45-30 minutes early. It’s a very different perspective going to a Spurs game from watching it on TV. Especially the first few times that I went. Now that I look upon it I just think that I was so overwhelmed with everything at the AT&T Center. It was all new to me and I would say for about the first five or six games. I would look at something new or go to a new place within the stadium. Other than watching the game I would look around the stadium either before the game started, or during half time. I wasn’t going to miss a second of the game. One of the things that I thought was pretty unique was looking at a championship trophies which at the time the Spurs had only 4 and now they have 5. Reading the article that they had behind the trophies and looking at the rings was so mesmerizing. It was all the organization’s championship history. My very first Spurs game that is what I wanted to see before the game. In my next post it will be an extension of the first few games that I’ve been to.

Hello to everyone that is reading this. My name is Troy Lopez and I am doing this blog over San Antonio Spurs games at the AT&T Center. This first post is an introduction to what this blog is. I want to start by giving my appreciation to everyone that is reading this blog. I have been to several Spurs games since I was about 10 years old. For everyone who loves basketball and loves to watch the Spurs this is the blog for you. I have been a Spurs fan since I was about 8 years old. I remember watching my first Spurs basketball game in 2005. When those of you who remember is when the Spurs won the NBA Finals over the Detroit Pistons. I remember watching my first game on TV as a kid and that is where my love for watching the Spurs started. I knew from there that I need to watch their games live in person. I am from Corpus Christi and traveling to San Antonio is about a 2 to 2 and half hour drive. For those of you that want to go to San Antonio and you live far away from there it is possible and you will enjoy being there. It is very enjoyable being at a Spurs. Over the years I have been to about 20-25 Spurs games since I was a kid to now that I’m 22 years old. The experience of going to AT&T Center and being a part of a Spurs game is like no other. From the moment you are walking up to the front doors, to when you walk in and look around at everything, and then finally find your seat to enjoy the game. When going to my first game everything is so overwhelming that it hard to take in all of it at once. This will end the first post and in the second post I will talk about going to the Spurs game the first few times.