IT'S A MUGGY Sunday in September at Frost Bank Center, and San Antonio Spurs media day is still a little more than two weeks away.
As the sun peeks through the arena's east entrance, condensation trickles down the floor-to-ceiling windows, a testament to the 86% humidity outside and similar to the pressure cooker inside the building for fans vying for a spot on Victor Wembanyama's official handpicked Spurs supporters group: the Jackals.
"This is something that hasn't been done to this level," said Aidan Sterling, president of the Jackals. "All the people who weren't Jackals last year, all the new guys, I know there's nerves amongst them."
Jitters would set in for some of the returning Jackals, too. Because unless they earned designation as "pack leader," membership isn't guaranteed this season, just like the Spurs aren't assured a spot in the 2026-27 NBA Finals after last season's shocking run that ended a six-year postseason drought and captivated fans.
"There's a lot of competition," said one of the Jackals' pack leaders. "Being a part of it last season doesn't guarantee you a spot this year."
It's a reality the Spurs understand all too well when measuring prospects for the upcoming season against the gauntlet that is the NBA's Western Conference, not to mention a vastly improved East or the fact that no team has advanced to the Finals in consecutive seasons since the 2018-19 Golden State Warriors. It's why Wembanyama and the rest of the squad tread carefully when discussing the sky-high expectations thrust upon the club in the wake of a 28-win improvement and Finals appearance. Wembanyama turned heads going into last season when revealing the team's goal of advancing to the postseason as a top-six seed.