Faith and fandom from San Antonio power Spurs push

Catholic nuns from San Antonio are expected to attend Game 2 of the NBA Finals, cheering and praying in traditional habits and Spurs jerseys. Their long-running connection to the team—renewed after a dip during COVID—now includes playoff watch parties, on-cour

By the time the Spurs step onto the floor for Game 2, a different kind of support will already be there.

Catholic nuns from San Antonio are expected to arrive for Game 2 of the NBA Finals as they did for Game 1. drawing attention as they cheer and pray for the Spurs during their run to the championship series. They will wear their traditional nun’s habits along with San Antonio Spurs jerseys. and they plan to root for the home team when the Spurs play the New York Knicks at the Frost Bank Center on Friday. June 5.

Their presence has become hard to miss—almost as noticeable, organizers say, as Victor Wembanyama’s height. The Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco in San Antonio have drawn celebrity-level attention of their own. with a relationship to the Spurs that has lasted long enough to become a story in its own right.

For some fans, it’s the spectacle. For the Sisters, it’s the meaning.

During Game 6 of the Western Conference finals. Wembanyama did not head out of the tunnel without taking time to shake each of the nuns’ hands. according to The Athletic. Sister Bernadette Mota told the outlet. “In a way. he was saying. ‘Thank you. ‘” adding that “He didn’t say ‘Thank you’ out loud. but he grabbed our hands. … You could see the focus in his eyes. and also his sense of gratitude for the prayers that we were giving the team.” Mota continued. “Without saying a word. he said a lot.”.

The bond didn’t begin with Wembanyama’s arrival in 2023. The Sisters say they started cheering on the Spurs long before he joined the team, and their support has now helped lead San Antonio to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014.

Gregg Popovich helped shape that relationship more than 20 years ago, Sister Mota said, according to EWTN Catholic Television. She described how some Sisters became “really diehard Spurs fans throughout the years. ” and that those Sisters made the initial connection by writing to Coach Popovich. who reportedly wrote back. Mota also said Popovich and his wife visited the Sisters a few times. “So much of that love and that connection with the Spurs community and their players. our sisters would watch the games and over the years… it’s just kept up since then. ” Mota said.

Then the connection faded—at least temporarily. “But a few years back it had kind of died down a little bit,” Mota said. “And then COVID happened and we kind of lost that connection. But just this past year and more recently these past weeks. it really has built up in a really strong way. And so we’re back praying with the Spurs.”.

As the playoff run has tightened, their involvement has gone beyond watching.

The Sisters play, too. Video captured three of the Sisters in a parking lot dribbling and taking aim at a basket with a torn net. One of the nuns drained a long shot and exclaimed, “Wooooo!”

Cheering and praying for the Spurs is part of the story. But the Sisters say their biggest mission isn’t just helping the team win its first NBA title since 2014.

Alongside their attendance at some home games. they have also held at least one playoff watch party for the children who attend St. John Bosco School in San Antonio and for the children’s parents. The attention the Sisters have received from attending games has reportedly led to significant donations. which the Sisters say will be used for the children—especially given how widely the children share the Spurs fandom.

On their website, the Salesian Sisters describe their approach this way: “By meeting young people where they are and sharing in the joys that matter to them, the Sisters bring faith, encouragement, and hope into everyday life.”

Now. as the NBA Finals move into Game 2 at the Frost Bank Center on Friday. June 5. their mix of habit and jersey will show up in the arena again—less like a novelty. more like a ritual that has survived time. noise. and even a pause brought on by COVID. only to return stronger in the moments that matter most.

Spurs San Antonio NBA Finals New York Knicks Frost Bank Center Victor Wembanyama Gregg Popovich Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco Sister Bernadette Mota faith and sports St. John Bosco School