San Antonio Spurs, McCombs family unveil new public basketball court at Hemisfair

The new public basketball court is located just steps from where Hemisfair Arena once stood. Credit: Courtesy Photo / Spurs Sports & Entertainment

Downtown San Antonio has a new, free basketball court for folks to practice their jump shots.

Hemisfair on Monday unveiled the $1.8 million Red McCombs Community Court, a pavilion-shielded outdoor court at Tower Park. It’s the only publicly accessible basketball court at Hemisfair, the downtown public space that also includes the Tower of the Americas.

Painted in the Spurs’ Fiesta colors with retro accents inspired by Hemsifair ’68, the court was funded by gifts from the McCombs Foundation and Spurs Give, the NBA team’s nonprofit arm. Hemisfair facilitated the construction.

“This court represents the past, present and future of San Antonio basketball and the city we call home,” Spurs Sports & Entertainment Chairman Peter J. Holt said. “From Hemisfair Arena where we first played, to the McCombs family’s enduring impact, to this new space for future generations, today we honour history while investing in our city’s future — continuing the legacy begun by Red McCombs.”

Indeed, late auto dealer and businessman B.J. “Red” Red McCombs is credited with moving the Spurs from Dallas to San Antonio in 1973, and the court is located just steps away from where the Silver and Black played their first games at the since-demolished Hemisfair Arena.

“The McCombs family is honoured to partner with the Spurs and Hamisfair in this investment,” Red’s daughter, Marsha Shields, said in a statement. “As my father said, ‘sports teams really belong to the fans,’ and that is certainly true for the Red McCombs Community Court.”

The court is now open to the public.

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San Antonio Spurs, McCombs family unveil new public basketball court at Hemisfair

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