SBC Center
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AT&T Center at night
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| Former names | SBC Center (2002–2006) |
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| Address | 1 AT&T Center Parkway |
| Location | San Antonio, Texas |
| Coordinates | 29°25′37″N 98°26′15″W / 29.42694°N 98.43750°WCoordinates: 29°25′37″N 98°26′15″W / 29.42694°N 98.43750°W |
| Owner | Bexar County |
| Operator | Spurs Sports & Entertainment |
| Capacity |
Basketball: 18,797 (2002–2009) 18,581 (2009–2015) 18,418 (2015–present) Ice Hockey: 16,151 (6,374 with curtain system) Concert: 19,000 (maximum capacity) |
| Surface | Multi-surface |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | August 24, 2000 |
| Opened | October 18, 2002 |
| Construction cost | US$186 million ($248 million in 2017 dollars) |
| Architect |
Ellerbe Becket Kell Muñoz Architects Lake Flato Architects |
| Project manager | Project Control |
| Structural engineer | Jaster-Quintanilla & Associates |
| Services engineer | Goetting/Curtis Neal |
| General contractor | Hunt/SpawGlass |
| Tenants | |
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San Antonio Rampage (AHL) (2002–present) San Antonio Spurs (NBA) (2002–present) San Antonio Stars (WNBA) (2003–2014, 2016–present) |
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The AT&T Center is a multi-purpose indoor arena on the east side of San Antonio, Texas, United States. It seats 18,418 for basketball, 16,151 for ice hockey, and 19,000 for concerts or gatherings, and contains 2,018 club seats, 50 luxury suites and 32 bathrooms.
The arena was completed in 2002, as the SBC Center, at a cost of US$175 million, financed by county-issued bonds, which were supported by a hotel-occupancy and car-rental tax increase and an additional contribution of $28.5 million from the Spurs. SBC Communications, Inc., purchased the naming rights to the facility under a 20-year, $41 million naming rights agreement with Bexar County, the San Antonio Spurs, and the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo in July 2000. SBC Communications changed its name to AT&T Inc. in November 2005. The arena officially changed its name to AT&T Center in January 2006.
The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association holds the and an Xtreme Bulls tour event annually there. The Rodeo is held in February, necessitating the Spurs and Rampage to make a long road trips during this time (commonly referred to as the "Rodeo Road Trip").
On the weekend of August 1–2, 2009, the Professional Bull Riders hosted a Built Ford Tough Series event there (an event previously held at the Alamodome in 2007 and 2008). Since May 2013, the venue has also hosted the annual Bud Light River City Rockfest.
In addition to many local community and sporting events, the center hosts San Antonio Sports Car Association competitions in the parking lot each month.
Previously, the Spurs played at the Alamodome, a multi-purpose facility with a configuration that allowed half the floor space to be used for basketball. Although the Alamodome was still relatively new (opening in 1993), it had become clear over the years that the Spurs were using it for most of the year, making it difficult to schedule contiguous dates for conventions or even a regular-season football schedule. The Alamodome's seating capacity could be expanded to 35,000 for popular regular-season opponents, and attracted nearly 40,000 for a 1999 NBA Finals game. Although it had been designed with the Spurs in mind, the Spurs and their fans grew increasingly dissatisfied with the facility because of its poor sight lines and cavernous feel. The Alamodome's basketball configuration had the basketball court at one end of where the football field would have been, leaving almost half of the stadium curtained off. Being primarily a football stadium differentiated the Alamodome from most other NBA facilities, including the Spurs' previous home, HemisFair Arena.
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