Five Takeaways As San Antonio Spurs' 2026-27 Regular Season Schedule Released

SAN ANTONIO — Victor Wembanyama won't have to wonder whether anybody is watching the San Antonio Spurs this season. Not that he ever did, anyway.

After the Spurs' NBA Finals berth put them under the brightest spotlight of their careers, the NBA ensured they would remain there. Their complete 2026-27 schedule, released Thursday afternoon, gave them the maximum-allowed 34 national TV appearances.

San Antonio's slate also added a third game at Austin's Moody Center, fewer regular-season meetings with perhaps their biggest budding rivals and another lengthy Rodeo Road Trip beginning in February and ending in March, among a few other challenges.

That said, here are five takeaways from the Spurs' upcoming campaign schedule:

1. Spurs Join the Popular Club

The year before Wembanyama arrived, the NBA handed San Antonio four national TV games. Three were shown only on NBA TV, while the final one — an ESPN matchup against the Golden State Warriors — came five weeks before the 2023 All-Star break.

Once Wembanyama landed in San Antonio, that number skyrocketed to 19. It climbed to 21 during his sophomore season, then from an initial 22 to 28 through flexes last year as the Spurs pushed toward the playoffs and, eventually, the NBA Finals.

Now, the Spurs have officially hit the ceiling.

San Antonio's 34 national TV appearances are tied with the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers for the most in the league. The Spurs will make 10 appearances on Prime, 11 on NBC/Peacock, eight on ESPN and five on ABC.

The #Spurs earned the league-maximum 34 national TV games this season.

Their annual Rodeo Road Trip will begin Feb. 9 @ DAL and end March 5 @ HOU. They will host the Memphis Grizzlies and Denver Nuggets as part of the I-35 Series at Moody Center on Feb. 26 and 28. Full schedule: pic.twitter.com/m2D7SGlCSv
— Matt Guzman (@mattgzman) August 13, 2026

San Antonio's rise from four national games to 34 took just four years. Its latest total leaves little question about where Wembanyama and the Spurs now rank among the league's most prominent draws, as they joined the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers as the only other teams with 34 national TV appearances.

The list of the top-10 teams in terms of national TV time is below:

T-1: Los Angeles Lakers (34)
T-1: New York Knicks (34)
T-1: San Antonio Spurs (34)
T-1: Philadelphia 76ers (34)
5: Oklahoma City Thunder (30)
T-6: Denver Nuggets (28)
T-6: Golden State Warriors (28)
T-8: Boston Celtics (27)
T-8: Minnesota Timberwolves (27)
10: Miami Heat (25)

2. A Third Moody Center Showdown

San Antonio is returning to Texas' capital this season, and extending its stay in the process.

For the first time since the "I-35 Series" began in 2023, the Spurs will play three regular season games at Moody Center, beginning with an opening-week matchup against the Houston Rockets on Oct. 23. From there, their usual stop during the Rodeo Road Trip will feature games against the Memphis Grizzlies and Denver Nuggets on Feb. 26 and 28.

"The reception has been far beyond what we could've imagined," Spurs Sports & Entertainment SVP of Strategic Growth Brandon James told Spurs On SI. "From attendance at our (weekly) events ... to, obviously, the sellout of every game we've played here."

Feb 19, 2026; Austin, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) enters Moody Center before a game against the Phoenix Suns. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

What began as an attempt to bridge San Antonio and Austin has become a fixture of the Spurs' schedule and brand expansion efforts.

Wembanyama, especially, has embraced the second Central Texas market as an extension of home. He'll have an extra chance to connect with the community this season.

"Austin is super cool," Wembanyama said. "For me, San Antonio, they're my people, but Austin, they're my people, as well. They welcome us and show much love."

3. Less Rivalry Face Time?

Wembanyama believes genuine rivalries require time. He made that clear amid a bombardment of questions about the Spurs and the Thunder last season.

"I guess the signs are," he began last December, "themarena is packed. The energy is different. There's physicality from the first to the 40th minute ... it's hard to describe it. It's like when PSG plays Marseille in France. This is a real rivalry (looks like)."

San Antonio and Oklahoma City met five times before the playoffs last season, including a showdown in the NBA Cup Knockout Round. They later needed seven games to decide the Western Conference champion, cementing the matchup as one of the NBA's most compelling budding rivalries. But the two teams will see less of each other this season.

May 30, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox (4) controls the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso (9) in the third quarter during Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals in the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Thunder will visit the Spurs on Opening Night on Oct. 20 before hosting the Spurs on Feb. 11 and March 14. All three games will be nationally televised.

Another NBA Cup meeting or playoff series could add to that total, but the guaranteed face time has been reduced. In fact, the NBA — touting its annual Rivals Week — instead scheduled games against the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors for the Spurs.

Whether the Spurs-Thunder matchup has already reached rivalry status remains up for debate. But another meeting in the playoffs might clear that right up.

"It's something that's built on years and years," Wembanyama said. "It's not something you can just make up like this. Doesn't take away that it's a good match-up, but it takes a lot."

4. Rodeo Road Trippin' ... Again

The Spurs will play their final game at Frost Bank Center before the Rodeo Road Trip on Feb. 6 against the Lakers. Three days later, they'll begin an extended absence from their home arena against the Dallas Mavericks, as they've done every season since 2003.

San Antonio will play six road games in 10 days, traveling from Dallas to Oklahoma City, Orlando, Miami, Memphis and Minnesota. The final two games of that stretch — Feb. 17 at Memphis and Feb. 18 at Minnesota — form the trip's only back-to-back set.

All-Star Weekend in Phoenix will provide a break before the Spurs resume play with their two I-35 Series games in Austin. They'll face Memphis and Denver at Moody Center before visiting the Nuggets on March 3 and ending the trip March 5 in Houston.

Altogether, the stretch consists of 10 games away from San Antonio: eight road contests and two quasi-home games in Austin. The Spurs won't return to their usual floor until March 7 in an NBA Finals rematch against the Knicks, 29 days after their previous home game.

5. How Many Back-to-Backs?

San Antonio has 13 back-to-back sets among its 80 currently dated games. Six are entirely on the road, three are entirely at home and four require the Spurs to travel between home and road venues. The latter draws will prove especially challenging, especially late-season.

The Spurs' road pairings include Sacramento to Portland, Cleveland to Toronto, Charlotte to Washington, San Francisco to LA, Memphis to Minnesota and Boston to Indiana. In addition, two back-to-backs arrive within the season's opening nine days, including the Moody Center matchup against Houston in Austin followed by a trip to Dallas.

San Antonio's three home back-to-backs won't arrive until the second half of the season.

The Spurs will host Houston and Charlotte on Jan. 26-27, Brooklyn and Dallas on March 18-19, then Sacramento and Cleveland on April 6-7.

Saddle up San Antonio! It's time to get to work 🤠

Introducing our 2026-27 season schedule 🗓️@HEB | #PorVida pic.twitter.com/MiJUARGwyH
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) August 13, 2026

Two more regular-season games will be assigned during the NBA Cup Knockout Round window, meaning the exact rest pattern remains subject to change. For now, the Spurs will navigate 13 sets as they attempt to turn last season's Finals loss into another deep run.

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson has already outlined his expectations for his team's motivation. Needless to say, he hopes it comes internally.

"I hope it leads to them being hungrier than they've ever been," Johnson said. "I hope it leads them to be more motivated than they've ever been."

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