The Spurs have returned to Austin with a cruising win over the Phoenix Suns. How does The Moody Center rank amongst the Spurs’ other courts? For this ranking I will take into account both the actual quality of the buildings and the importance of the moments that occurred there.
Ranking Arenas the Spurs Have Played at, Including Moody Center
Lubbock Municipal Coliseum
Before they were the Spurs, they were the Dallas Chapparals. However, not even Dallas wanted them. In a desperate attempt to gain fans, they played all over Texas. Before this failure would lead to the sale of the team, they made a distant trek to Lubbock, Texas. The strangest looking arena on this list, The Lubbock Municipal Coliseum was demolished in 2019. Although it is difficult to find old pictures of the arena, Texas Tech’s Women’s Basketball Team played there in 2017. And what do you know? The expansive arena lives and breathes 70’s basketball. Unfortunately for its Spurs related legacy, it isn’t very notable. It is also the only arena the Chapparals played in that is completely gone.
Tarrant County Coliseum/Fort Worth Convention Center
Located in downtown Fort Worth, and renamed to the Fort Worth Convention Center, is an oddly shaped dome and a larger rectangular building connected to it. This building held performances by both Elvis Presley and Led Zeppelin and was an occasional home to the Spurs’ former identity. Having attended a graduation here (see how well versed I am in mid-to-small sized arenas?), I can personally say it can pack people in surprisingly well.
From the outside, it looks like a UFO (oh, that’s why Led Zeppelin wanted to play there), but don’t let the look fool you. The raised appearance of the dome wouldn’t tip you off on how low the floor feels when you are inside of it, giving the ceiling a very distant and ginormous appearance, however, unlike American Airlines Center (the Mavs’ current home), the extra areas that should be surrounding the Coliseum are all in one huge several story hallway, giving the building a multi-use feel, instead of a grand one. Just like the other two Chapparal courts, the team’s stay was short-lived.