The San Antonio city council has denied a motion from mayor Gina Ortiz Jones to reopen $489MM in funding for a new downtown arena to a public vote, according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic. The Spurs intend to cover $500MM of the cost for their $1.3 billion arena, with the city nearly matching that figure and the county picking up the bill on the remaining $311MM via tourism taxes.

“Today’s decision allows San Antonio to move forward on a path that was established through years of work, public discussion, city and council action, and last year’s vote,” Spurs CEO RC Buford said in a statement following the city council vote (Twitter link via ESPN’s Michael C. Wright). “We can now turn our full attention to delivering on that shared vision and the transformational opportunity ahead for our city.

“We are grateful to the community, business and civic leaders, Spurs fans and residents who have taken the time to learn the facts and make their voices heard. There is still a great deal of work ahead, and we are ready for it. We remain committed to working alongside our public and community partners to deliver a downtown arena and district that strengthens San Antonio for generations to come.”

The Spurs, who currently play at the Frost Bank Center, hope to break ground on the new arena in 2029 and begin playing games there in 2032, Weiss notes.

We have more from around the Western Conference:

• Prior to the upcoming window of FIBA World Cup qualifying games, Spurs star Victor Wembanyama has been named the captain of the French national team, Wright writes for ESPN.com. Rudy Gobert, who was the captain during the summer’s earlier World Cup qualifiers, and Evan Fournier are among the veterans still on France’s roster, but head coach Frederic Fauthoux explained to L’Equipe that he and his staff were ready to pass the torch to the rising superstar. “There was no point in waiting,” Fauthoux said (hat tip to BasketNews). “The time was right.”
• As Dylan Grausz of NBC Sports Bay Area relays, free agent swingman Dalen Terry was spotted earlier this week attending a Golden State Valkyries game alongside Warriors star Stephen Curry, lending credence to reporting that Golden State is eyeing Terry as a potential training camp invitee. The Warriors currently have 13 players on standard contracts but are expected to carry a full 15-man squad into the regular season, so Terry and others could be given an opportunity to compete for a roster spot in camp.
• Given that the Thunder‘s offseason consisted primarily of cost-cutting trades, the big question in Oklahoma City entering the 2026/27 season is whether their reduced depth will lower their postseason ceiling, writes Anthony Slater of ESPN. There will also be a spotlight on the team’s younger players, Slater notes, with Aday Mara, Nikola Topic, and Bennett Stirtz among those who will likely be given a chance to earn regular season roles following the departures of Luguentz Dort, Isaiah Joe, and Aaron Wiggins.