The American Basketball Association is a professional basketball league in the United States in the late 1960s. It joined the National Basketball League in 1976. The league brought four teams in the NBA. They were the Denver Nuggets, New Jersey Nets, Indianan Pacers, and the San Antonio Spurs.
Among the four teams, the Spurs turned out to be the most dominant. Ever since the mergence, they have won fifteen Division titles, four conference titles, and four championship titles. Since their championship crown in 1999, the Spurs have shown tremendous success in the basketball arena. Their winning percentage is among the highest of any team in any sport of any major league in the US.
They have made loyal fans in San Antonio, which became their home since 1973. The attendance during their home games are among the largest. In 1999, the fans poured out their support as they set an attendance record of 39,554.
Before their glorious years in 1999, the Spurs went through difficulties. Their coach changed almost every year. They even had their worst record in franchise history in the 1996-97 season. David Robinson stepped up for the team in several years. He earned the Most Valuable Player award in 1995. However, his team was not able to bring home the championship banner.
They had the chance to make the top pick in the 1997 draft. They used it well and chose the Tim Duncan. Like Robinson, he was also a Naismith College Player of the Year in 1997. When he joined the San Antonio Spurs, he and Robinson gave birth to the Twin Towers. They also began the glorious seasons for the team.
NBA felt the presence of Duncan almost immediately. He won the Rookie of the Year award in 1997-98 season. In 1999, the team won its very first National championship title and Duncan became the NBA finals Most Valuable Player.
The year 1999 is a very memorable year for the franchise. The Spurs became the first former ABA team to appear in the finals, and the first to win the coveted NBA title. The year 2003 marked another memorable year. David Robinson was due to retire after the season. It was also the first year that they will be playing at their new home court, the AT&T center. They completed the celebration, by winning their second NBA title.
Their second NBA title was a team effort of the twin towers and the new rising stars of the team. The new key players include Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli. They earned their third NBA title in 2005 and once again, Tim Duncan brought home the NBA finals MVP.
Their Cinderella story took place in 2007. They started out strong but were not able to stay consistent. Their team standing gradually slide and almost all the players were frustrated. However, this turned around after Coach Gregg Popovic decided to keep the team intact even if he had the option to make a trade. They went on to win the 2007 NBA title and Tony Parker won his very first NBA finals MVP award.
They earned their fifth NBA title in 2014 and Kawhi Leonard won his NBA finals MVP award they outgunned the star studded Miami Heat.