NBA attendance record: Warriors-Spurs sets mark at Alamodome, but one coach thinks it’s just the beginning

The San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors set an NBA record for attendance Friday, as an official crowd of 68,323 flocked to the Alamodome in San Antonio. The Warriors won the game 144-113 but the score was secondary to the history that was made.

Spurs legend David Robinson addressed the crowd during the game to officially announce the record.

Here’s a look at the scene inside the arena.

The previous record for attendance at an NBA game was the matchup between the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks at the Georgia Dome in March of 1998, which drew 62,046 fans. Before Friday, the Spurs’ attendance record was 39,554, set during Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the Knicks in 1999. The largest number of fans to take in any NBA event is the 108,713 spectators who attended the 2010 All-Star Game at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, in Arlington, Texas.

The monumental number of 68,323 in San Antonio on Friday shattered the previous record, but one NBA coach thinks that it’s just the beginning. Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said on Friday that he wants to see an NBA game draw 100,000 fans.

“The game is growing at an exponential rate. One of these days we’ve got to do something outside and pack 100,000 down here in South Florida. Let’s do that. Make that happen,” Spoelstra said. “We might be able to do that, put a court in the Marlins’ stadium, and then you put the roof and open it up. Let’s do it, 100,000. That’s my call.”

It’s hard to tell whether Spoelstra was being slightly tongue-in-cheek, but it’s certainly possible that the NBA could put an event like that together, either in the United States or overseas. Whether the players would be keen on shooting with wind and weather in an open-air stadium is another question.

For now, however, the record belongs to the Spurs, and the game was a great way to celebrate their fans and how far the NBA has come.