The San Antonio Spurs unveiled the first part of their schedule for the 2020-2021 season this week, from Dec. 23 to March 4.
They will welcome back fans in person on Jan. 1.
Two home games are scheduled for the month of December, including a pre-season game on Dec. 12 and a regular season game on Dec. 26.
The Spurs organization said the Jan. 1 game will be the first time spectators will be allowed back into the AT&T Center. They will face the Los Angeles Lakers.
The number of fans will be limited, pending the status of public health data and guidelines.
The announcement came the same week that Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff and San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg praised the Spurs for not allowing fans to attend games in person this month.
Mark your calendars #SpursFamily!! 🗓
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) December 4, 2020
Here's a look at the first half of our 2020-21 schedule! What matchups are you most looking forward to?@HEB | #GoSpursGo pic.twitter.com/S8CCCGG5UY
Wolff said at Friday's city/county COVID-19 briefing that if pandemic conditions improve by the end of the month, fans may be allowed to attend games with limited seating capacity in place.
“Maybe doing 17% of the seats and then see how things are in our community," he said, "maybe they go up a little higher, but I think they are being very cautious.”
The mayor praised the Spurs and the NBA as being exemplary among all sports when it comes to keeping fans and players safe.
In November, Spurs All-Star Tim Duncan, the most decorated player in the team's history, said he would not serve as an assistant coach for the team next season. The 44 year old will return to his retirement.
Duncan's career spanned nearly two decades, from 1997 to 2016. He will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in May.
Brian Kirkpatrick and Lauren Terrazas contributed to this report.
