San Antonio Spurs David Robinson (50) standing at attention beside (L-R) Malik Rose (31), Sean Elliott (32), Will Perdue (41), and Tim Duncan (21) during national anthem before Game 1 vs Portland Trail Blazers at Alamodome.
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No, you have not entered a time machine. The San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks are facing off in the NBA Finals for only the second time. The last time this happened was in 1999.
For New York, it was the last time they reached the finals; for San Antonio, it kick-started Tim Duncan’s five-ring dynasty. A lot has changed in the last 27 years, so let’s take a little flashback to see what the Alamo City looked like at the turn of the century.
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Changes since Spurs vs. Knicks in 1999
For starters, a lot fewer people were living in the city. San Antonio had an estimated population of 1.14 million in 1999 and today boasts more than 1.5 million residents, all of whom are fighting for Spurs tickets.
While the River Walk appeared unchanged, Pearl was struggling through the 1990s and, by 2001, had shut down its brewery after 118 years. Joint Base San Antonio had not yet been organized. The Port Authority of San Antonio was still eight years away.
The Majestic Theatre celebrated its 70th birthday, while the Aztec turned 71. The old Frost Bank Tower was turning 24, while the current Frost Bank Tower was still 20 years from being built.
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David Robinson of the San Antonio Spurs (with trophy) along with teammates and family members ride a tour barge down the San Antonio River 27 June 1999 as they celebrate their win in the NBA Finals with a river parade.
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View of San Antonio Spurs fans victorious in stands during Game 2 vs New York Knicks at Alamodome.
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Elsewhere, the San Antonio Public Library’s central library was only four years old, while the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts would not open until 2014.
For the record, The Alamo looks almost unchanged from the 90s to today.
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The Alamo in San Antonio on January 1, 1995.
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On the political side, Howard W. Peak, the most recent Republican to serve as mayor, was in the second year of his term. George W. Bush was in his second term as governor of Texas and sat courtside with Spurs owner Peter Holt during the NBA Finals, possibly discussing Bush’s run for president the next year. While not in San Antonio, John F. Kennedy Jr. watched the Spurs and Knicks in New York one month before his tragic death in July 1999 at age 38.
Texas Gov. George W. Bush (L) talks with San Antonio Spurs owner Peter Holt (R) during a break in the action 18 June 1999 during game two of the NBA Finals at the Alamodome in San Antonio, TX.
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John F. Kennedy Jr. watching the New York Knicks take on the San Antonio Spurs in Game 4 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden.
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Texas A&M-San Antonio wouldn’t open until 2009, but UTSA was already playing men’s and women’s basketball. The Roadrunner men’s basketball team qualified for March Madness in 1999 as champions of the Southland Conference. Football would still be 12 years away, but the Alamodome played host to the Big 12 Championship Game, where Nebraska beat Texas 22-6, and the Alamo Bowl, where Penn State beat Texas A&M 24-0 in front of a then-record crowd of 65,380 people.
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Bevo leaves a calling card, all over the endzone, during the final minutes of the Longhorns 22-6 loss to Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship Game at the Alamodome in San Antonio, TX, Dec 4, 1999.
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Stanford players Pete Van Elswyk, Kamba Tshionyi and Michael McDonald relax in a locker room at the Alamodome.
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Celebrity-wise, stars from San Antonio, such as Pedro Pascal, Jared Padalecki, and Michelle Rodriguez, were still unknown actors, while director Robert Rodriguez was probably working on Spy Kids ahead of its 2001 release.
Film director Spike Lee cheers on the New York Knicks in Game 4 of the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden.
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1999 was actually a pretty good year for music fans in the Alamo City. Black Sabbath headlined the 1999 Ozzfest at Retama Park; Def Leppard held a free concert at the De Zavala Walmart; Eminem, Blink-182, Black Eyed Peas, Ice-T, Dropkick Murphys and more played at the Vans Warped Tour (also at Retama Park); Limp Bizkit played during the Family Values Tour at the Alamodome, while Jay-Z was one of several artists who played the KTFM Winter Jam, also at the Alamodome.
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It was also the second year of the touring George Strait Country Music Festival, which hosted The Chicks, Tim McGraw, Jo Dee Messina and Kenny Chesney in addition to George Strait himself. It was also the last year of the George Strait Country Music Festival.
So, yes, a lot has changed in the last 27 years. We can only imagine how much will change between 2026 and 2053.