Who are the Spurs nuns? Meet Salesian sisters rooting on Victor Wembanyama's team during NBA Finals

Fans of the San Antonio Spurs didn't have much to root for between the years of 2019-24, when the team missed the playoffs in six-straight seasons. But in the 2026 NBA Playoffs, all of a sudden, it's pretty cool to be a Spurs fan again.

The home crowd at Frost Bank Center has quickly re-earned a reputation as one of the best playoff environments, from rowdy fans to the color-coordinated Spurs city edition colors that created a spectacle. And while the Spurs won't have the courtside star power of the Knicks in the 2026 NBA Finals, they will have their own bunch of unique fans: a group of nuns.

The "Spurs nuns" have gone viral online as San Antonio has made its 2026 playoff run, appearing courtside for multiple games.

Here's everything to know about the nuns who sit courtside at Spurs home games.

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Who are the Spurs nuns?

The "Spurs nuns" are a group of nuns from the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco in San Antonio, all longtime fans of the NBA team — including wearing plenty of Spurs gear courtside. While the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco are a worldwide institution, the Spurs fans are located in a convent in San Antonio.

While they have been attending Spurs games for decades, the nuns first went viral during the second round of the 2026 playoffs, seen cheering on the Spurs as they took on the Timberwolves.

Sr. Bernadette Mota of St. John Bosco told Sojourner that the Spurs fandom is nothing new — it began in the 2000s. 

"It started about 20 years ago," Mota said. "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."

Salesian Sisters are in the building tonight 👋 pic.twitter.com/WF0uOZpcZ9

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) May 24, 2026

Mota added that the Salesian Sisters view sports as a way to connect with and educate young people, and around eight-to-10 nuns will watch Spurs games together often.

"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."

Mota also said that the team has known the Salesian Sisters through legendary coach Gregg Popovich, who had a connection to one of the nuns.

"In the past, the sisters who were big die-hard fans, one of them, who has since passed away, was able to build a connection with coach Gregg Popovich," Mota said. "Him and his wife came and visited the convent a couple times just to show their appreciation."

On Instagram, the "Spurs nuns" have over 70,000 followers now, often posting videos of them cheering on their favorite team — including interactions with Wembanyama.

Another video they posted got over 8 million views, as they showed off their own respective hooping skills while wearing their Spurs jerseys.

Now, as more of a viral sensation, they've been spotted courtside at playoff games as the Spurs have been on the NBA's biggest stages. They were even seen blessing backup center Luke Kornet before a game:

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) May 24, 2026

Why are there nuns at Spurs games?

The nuns who often appear at Spurs games — more recently, courtside at playoff games — are longtime fans of the team. Nuns from the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco in San Antonio have gone viral for their appearances at Frost Bank Arena.

Before Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, which took place in Oklahoma City, the San Antonio Express-News reported that the nuns wouldn't be making the trip for the big game, but were holding a private watch party.

“Pre-game, we’re praying the rosary for peace (in communion with the Church and Pope Leo),” Sister Bernadette Mota said, per the San Antonio Express-News. “And we’ll add a special intention for the Spurs. God bless & Go Spurs Go!”

However, they also posted an Instagram video, saying that they were offered the chance to attend Game 7 in person.

“We actually chose to stay here in San Antonio to be with the young people that we serve and with our sisters,” one of the nuns said. “... We are praying for and cheering for the Spurs in San Antonio.”

MORE: Where is Gregg Popovich now?

Nike Wemby-Spurs nun ads

As the "Spurs nuns" went viral online at the same time of Wembanyama's playoff emergence, some photos went around on social media showing the Spurs center alongside a group of nuns, believed by fans to be a Nike advertisement for its superstar athlete.

Unfortunately, those "Nike nun ads" were not real — the photos were made through AI by Asher Hyde, a 20-year-old design student at USC.

Still, even if it wasn't a real Nike-sponsored photo of Wembanyama and the Salesian Sisters, fans praised Hyde for the "Stop him? Just pray" campaign idea. The design student has produced plenty of content mashing sports and fashion on his social media pages, also designing concept NBA 2K covers in the early 2020s.

— Rob Petrozzo (@robpetrozzo) May 25, 2026

MORE: Everything to know about the "fake" Nike Victor Wembanyama-nuns ads