For 50 years, San Antonio Spurs fan Art Bayern ’54 had what he calls “the best seat in the house.” This spring, the longtime team statistician retired after working more than 2,000 NBA games courtside, operating the game clock, shot clock, and scoreboard. His tenure began in the team’s ABA days and spanned five NBA championships. In recognition of his service, the Spurs honored him during their regular-season finale in April, presenting Bayern with a framed No. 50 jersey bearing his name.
An attorney who settled in San Antonio after earning his law degree from the University of Texas in 1965, Bayern says it wasn’t just his loyalty to the team that kept him coming back season after season. It was also the friendships he formed with fellow members of the stats crew. The group included people from “all walks of life,” he says, from military veterans and coaches to insurance agents and physical therapists. “It was like a cross-section of the world,” Bayern says. “Just a fun bunch of people.”
Even as he steps away from the scorer’s table, Bayern isn’t leaving the Spurs behind. He has already purchased a 10-game ticket package for next season and plans to catch the rest of the schedule, as he puts it, “at home on TV.”