San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama will play in his first NBA game on Wednesday night against the Dallas Mavericks at 9:30 PM ET on ESPN. However, the emerging superstar has already had a profound economic impact on the franchise.
Once one of the NBA’s greatest dynasties, the Spurs have fallen on hard times in recent years. Still led by coach Gregg Popovich, San Antonio has won fewer than 35 games in each of its last four seasons. A 22-60 campaign last year allowed them to land the No. 1 overall pick, providing them with a franchise-changing star who the entire organization knew would change everything.
- Victor Wembanyama contract: $12.160 million salary in 2023-’24, $12.768 million salary (2024-’25), $13.376 million club option (2025-’26), $16.868 million club option (2026-’27)
Related: Victor Wembanyama shares his first impression of Gregg Popovich
Wembanyama looked as-advertised during the NBA preseason. Veteran players seemed hesitant go go at him when he protected the rim, he showed unmatched athleticism for someone his size and flashed the skills that led many to call him the best NBA prospect ever.
San Antonio is confident Wembanyama will live up to his hype, especially with the foundation built around him. Even before he takes the court, though, the rookie has greatly influenced the Spurs’ revenue and popularity.
According to Eric Fisher of Front Office Sports, the Spurs have already received 4,000 new season-ticket deposits since drafting Wembanyama. Furthermore, San Antonio set a franchise record for the most number of season-ticket accounts ever.
Keep in mind that tickets were extremely affordable for Spurs games during the 2022-’23 season with the team rebuilding. Now that Wembanyama is in San Antonio, Spurs tickets are expected to be some of the most expensive in the NBA for the entire 2023-’24 season.
KSAT 12 reported in June that Wembanyama jerseys were flying off the shelves in Texas, with many stores reporting that merchandise tied to Wembanyama was being sold at a record pace.
Related: San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama already made a massive financial impact
There’s also unprecedented interest from across the nation, even among non-Spurs fans. Front Office Sports also noted that the Spurs have 19 national TV games this season, quintupling the number of nationally televised games for the team (four) last season.
Attendance will also be monitored closely. Across the 2023-’24 NBA season, Spurs’ attendance ranked 25th (16,937 per game) in the league at home and they were 26th in road attendance (17,649). Thanks to Wembanyama, Spurs games moving forward are expected to be sell-outs most nights.
