Written by Megan Taylor, sports reporter covering international sports since 2020
Spurs nuns have become one of the most talked-about stories of San Antonio’s 2026 NBA Playoffs run, with the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco drawing attention from courtside seats at Frost Bank Center.
After six straight seasons without playoff basketball from 2019 to 2024, San Antonio Spurs fans have found fresh energy as Victor Wembanyama and his teammates prepare for the NBA Finals.
For more NBA coverage, read How Spurs Built Their NBA Finals Roster Around Victor Wembanyama.
Longtime Fans Get National Attention
The group of nuns are longtime San Antonio Spurs supporters based at a convent in San Antonio.
They have attended games for years, but their presence gained wider attention during the second round of the 2026 playoffs when they were seen cheering against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
"It started about 20 years ago," Sister Bernadette Mota of St. John Bosco told Sojourner.
"We had a couple elder sisters at our provincial house, our retirement house for our sisters who need assisted living. Some of them were born and raised in San Antonio, and anytime there was a game on they would watch it. And they would get very irritated when the game had to be turned off because it was bedtime."
Spurs Bond Runs Deep
Mota said around eight to 10 nuns often watch San Antonio Spurs games together.
"We like watching sports because our mission is with young people and so in order to connect with the youth we need to know what they like," Mota told Sojourner. "Then we can converse with them and introduce them to who we like: Jesus."
The group has also built a link with the team through former San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich, who visited the convent with his wife in past years.
The nuns now have more than 70,000 Instagram followers and have posted videos cheering for the team, interacting with Wembanyama and even showing off basketball skills in Spurs jerseys.
Before Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, they chose to stay in San Antonio for a private watch party rather than travel to Oklahoma City. Official team updates are available through the San Antonio Spurs website.