The McCombs Foundation and Spurs Give, along with Hemisfair, are excited to announce the addition of the “Red McCombs Community Court” – a new covered basketball court that will be constructed in the Eastern Zone of the Hemisfair District – one hundred steps from the location of the original HemisFair Arena.
Leadership gifts from the McCombs Foundation and Spurs Give total $1.8 million, making it possible for Hemisfair to deliver the new outdoor covered basketball court for the community’s benefit.
“We are grateful to the McCombs family and Spurs Give,” said Andres Andujar, Hemisfair CEO. “Through the creation of the Tower Park vision and use plan, we heard from the community that a shaded basketball court would be used and loved, and we can deliver thanks to the funders’ dedication to enhancing recreational opportunities for our residents.”
The court will be located in Tower Park, which includes the city’s tallest icon: the Tower of Americas. Its location in the Hemisfair District makes it easily accessible to residents of all ages and abilities. Nearby affordable parking at the Hemisfair Garage, and a nice stroll up the newly renovated Hemisfair Boulevard gives visitors easy access to Tower Park. The basketball court, designed by Gomez Vazquez International, will replace a pond constructed during the 1988 Hemisfair renovation.
The “Red McCombs Community Court” will serve as more than a space for physical activity; it represents community collaboration and pride. The basketball court and its surroundings will be a gathering place for our community and a reminder of our shared history on these grounds.
“From their leadership roles with HemisFair ’68, to helping bring the Spurs to San Antonio, my parents were always focused on lifting their community,” Marsha Shields, CEO & Managing Partner of McCombs Enterprises, said. “Their legacy will continue in the Hemisfair District with this brand-new community court.”
“The entire team at the San Antonio Spurs and Spurs Give has long been dreaming of the best way to honor the life and legacy of Red McCombs,” said Dr. Kara Allen, Executive Director of Spurs Give and Chief People Impact and Belonging Officer at Spurs Sports and Entertainment. “The opportunity to invest in and bring programming to the ‘Red McCombs Community Court’ is that dream realized. Together, we’re all building leaders and legacies where so many families will come to live, learn, work and play.”
The basketball court design will incorporate elements that are a nod to our hometown team and its roots at HemisFair, ensuring their enduring impact on the park’s landscape. Its simple but elegant design takes its precedent from HemisFair ‘68 architecture such as the IBM Pavilion. With slender columns that don’t interrupt the views of the park, and the oval roof structure, the inspiration for the resulting shape comes from the Fair composition of circles and rectangles. The pavilion will have mounted lighting in several locations and mounted backboard and rim.
“We are deeply honored to receive charitable support from two esteemed partners, whose generosity will amplify our impact and empower us to create positive change,” Anne Krause, Executive Director of the Hemisfair Conservancy said. “We celebrate the largest philanthropic gift to Hemisfair to date and cannot wait to get to work bringing a new fabulous amenity to our community.”
Construction on the basketball court will begin this spring, 2024, and will be complete in the spring of 2025.