Tonight, the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks meet again in the NBA Finals.
For longtime Spurs fans, that sentence brings back a lot of memories.
The last time the Spurs and Knicks faced each other in the Finals was 1999. Tim Duncan was still early in his career. David Robinson was still holding down the middle. The Spurs were playing in the Alamodome. San Antonio was still fighting for national respect as a basketball city. And for those of us who grew up here, that championship felt like more than just a sports moment.
It felt like San Antonio had finally arrived.
I still remember exactly where I was when the Spurs won Game 5 in 1999. I had just graduated from Churchill High School a few weeks earlier and was getting ready to head off to Texas Tech, where I’d be rooming with one of my best high school buddies, Trey Pyka, who was going to play collegiate golf at Tech.
That night, we were all at Chris Benedict’s house, crowded around what felt like the biggest TV in the world — a 40-inch screen, which back then was absolutely massive. When the final buzzer sounded and the Spurs beat the Knicks 78-77 to win their first NBA Championship, we did what half of San Antonio probably did that night.
We got in our cars and headed downtown to join the line of honking cars.
It is a memory I will never forget.
Now here we are, 27 years later, and the Spurs and Knicks are back in the Finals. Game 1 tips off tonight, Wednesday, June 3, 2026, in San Antonio. Game 2 is also here on Friday, June 5. The series then heads to New York for Games 3 and 4 on June 8 and June 10. If needed, Game 5 comes back to San Antonio on Saturday, June 13, followed by Game 6 in New York on June 16 and Game 7 back in San Antonio on June 19.
I have tickets to Game 5 with my brother Travis, and if the Spurs somehow win this thing in five again, I can promise you one thing: we will be in that line of honking cars again.
Some things change. Some things don’t.
And if anyone wants proof that the Wagner's are lifelong Spurs fans, my daughter is named Parker, and I have two nephews named Elliott and Harper. That’s not an accident, although the wives will never admit to it!!
San Antonio in 1999 Was a Very Different Place
When the Spurs won that first championship, San Antonio was already a big city, but it did not feel the way it feels today.
In 2000, just after that first Spurs title, San Antonio had a population of about 1.14 million people. Today, the city is estimated at more than 1.5 million people. That is a massive amount of growth, but honestly, if you have lived here for any length of time, you do not need a chart to tell you that.
You can feel it on Loop 1604.
You can see it on I-10 heading toward Boerne.
You can see it in Stone Oak, Cibolo, New Braunfels, Bulverde, Spring Branch, Fair Oaks Ranch, and just about every direction surrounding San Antonio.
Back in 1999, The Pearl was not the Pearl we know today. The Rim and La Cantera were not what they are now. North San Antonio had not pushed as far out as it has today. Boerne still felt much more like a small Hill Country town than a fast-growing destination for families, retirees, and people moving in from all over the country.
That is one of the things that makes this Spurs-Knicks rematch so interesting. It is not just a basketball comparison. It is a time capsule.
The Spurs have changed. The city has changed. The Hill Country has changed. And real estate has changed dramatically.
Boerne and the Hill Country Have Seen Incredible Growth
If San Antonio’s growth has been steady, the Hill Country’s growth has been eye-opening.
Boerne had just over 6,000 residents in the 2000 Census. Today, Boerne is estimated at more than 24,000 residents. That is not just growth — that is a complete shift in what the area feels like.
Kendall County tells a similar story. Around the time of the 1999 Finals, Kendall County had fewer than 24,000 residents. Today, it is estimated at more than 53,000 residents.
Fair Oaks Ranch has also changed quite a bit. In 2000, Fair Oaks Ranch had fewer than 5,000 people. Today, it is estimated at more than 12,000.
For those of us who grew up around San Antonio and the Hill Country, those numbers are not surprising, but they are still wild to see on paper.
Back then, Boerne was still a place many San Antonians thought of as “out there.” Today, it is one of the most desirable areas in the entire region. Between the schools, the Hill Country setting, the historic downtown, the access to I-10, and the lifestyle that comes with it, Boerne has become one of the premier markets in the San Antonio area.
The same can be said for Fair Oaks Ranch real estate, Boerne homes for sale, and the broader Texas Hill Country real estate market.
Home Prices Tell the Story Too
The real estate numbers may be the biggest difference between 1999 and today.
In the 2000 Census, the median value of owner-occupied housing units in San Antonio was under $70,000. Today, Census estimates put the median value of owner-occupied housing units in San Antonio at more than $235,000.
In Boerne, the current Census estimate for median owner-occupied home value is approximately $457,900.
In Kendall County, that number is approximately $512,700.
In Fair Oaks Ranch, it is approximately $657,600.
Those numbers do not mean every home is worth that amount, and they do not replace a true comparative market analysis. Local MLS data, condition, upgrades, acreage, school district, location, views, lot size, and neighborhood all matter. But as a broad snapshot, it shows just how much the market has changed since the first Spurs-Knicks Finals.
And honestly, anyone who has watched the growth along I-10 between San Antonio and Boerne already knows this.
What used to feel like a quiet drive into the Hill Country now includes new neighborhoods, new restaurants, new retail centers, medical offices, schools, traffic lights, and construction cones.
Plenty of people still move here for the same reasons they always have: space, schools, scenery, community, and a slightly slower pace than the middle of San Antonio. But the secret is definitely out.
The Spurs Grew Up, and So Did San Antonio
In 1999, the Spurs were trying to prove they belonged among the NBA’s great franchises.
Since then, San Antonio has watched the Spurs win multiple championships, build one of the most respected organizations in professional sports, and create memories that span generations.
At the same time, San Antonio has grown into a bigger, more complex, more nationally recognized city.
We have seen major changes downtown. We have watched The Pearl become one of the city’s signature destinations. We have seen the north side explode with growth. We have watched the Hill Country transform from a quieter edge of town into one of the most sought-after places to live in South Texas.
And now, with the Spurs back in the Finals, it feels like a new chapter.
The names have changed. Instead of Duncan and Robinson, this new era belongs to Victor Wembanyama and a new generation of Spurs fans. Instead of the Alamodome, the games are at Frost Bank Center. Instead of watching on a giant 40-inch TV, most of us have TVs in our living rooms that would have looked like movie screens back in 1999.
But the feeling is familiar.
San Antonio still rallies around this team in a way that is hard to explain unless you have lived here. The Spurs have always felt like more than just a basketball team. They are part of the identity of the city.
What Has Not Changed
A lot has changed since 1999.
San Antonio is bigger. Boerne is bigger. Fair Oaks Ranch is bigger. Home prices are higher. Traffic is heavier. The Hill Country is no longer the quiet little secret it once was.
But some things are still the same.
San Antonio still loves the Spurs.
Families still gather around TVs to watch the Finals.
Kids still grow up pretending to hit game-winning shots in the driveway.
And if the Spurs win another championship, there will absolutely be cars honking downtown again.
That is one thing I hope never changes.
Thinking About Buying or Selling in San Antonio or the Hill Country?
Whether you have been here since the 1999 championship run or you are newer to the area, there is no denying how much San Antonio and the Hill Country have changed.
If you are thinking about buying or selling in San Antonio, Boerne, Fair Oaks Ranch, Kendall County, or the surrounding Hill Country, it helps to work with someone who knows the area beyond just the numbers.
The Wagner Team has been part of the Fair Oaks Ranch, Boerne, and San Antonio real estate community for decades. We have watched these areas grow, shift, and evolve, and we would be happy to help you understand what your home may be worth in today’s market.
You can start by checking out our San Antonio real estate page, our Boerne real estate page, our Fair Oaks Ranch real estate page, or our home valuation page.
And in the meantime…
Go Spurs Go.
