If they were going to make a 14,000-mile round trip to see the Spurs, Hannuri Ha and Sun Kyung Lee figured they would make it count.
Spurs fans from Seoul, South Korea, they decided to make a San Antonio pilgrimage for the longest 2015-16 homestand at AT&T Center. When the schedule was released in August, they couldn’t believe their fortune.
A five-game homestand spanning 10 days in March. Chicago, Oklahoma City, the Clippers, Portland and Golden State.
“We want to see them as many times as we can,” Ha said. “This is a dream come true.”
They’ll watch the Spurs face five teams in playoff contention, see the current top four teams in the Western Conference, and Ha and Lee aren’t stopping there. As part of their ultimate Spurs vacation, they’re also driving up to Cedar Park to see the Austin Spurs for a night.
On Thursday, a little jetlagged but filled with excitement, they walked into the AT&T Center for the first time. Ha held a sign that said “We flew 7,092 miles to see the San Antonio Spurs from South Korea!”
Arriving more than four hours before tip-off so they could eat at Whataburger and spend time in the fan shop, Ha and Lee got passes to enter the arena early for pre-game warmups.
Lee yelped when she saw Kevin Martin walk out first, grabbing her husband with excitement. They were traveling over the Pacific Ocean when Martin’s signing was announced.
Lee said one of her favorite things about the warmups was watching Spurs assistant Chip Engelland work with players. It’s something they never got to see on NBA League Pass.
“We didn’t know what this would be like,” Ha said, “It’s all wonderful.”
They taught an usher a few Korean words and also brought gifts for each Spurs player to give the team a slice of South Korea, a personalized printing seal with their name and number. In Korea, using a personal seal as a stamp is still commonly used in place of a signature as a nod to tradition.
The couple has been married for three years, and much of the newlywed phase was spent getting up in the morning to watch the Spurs’ 2013-14 season live on NBA League Pass.
“The team play is so great,” Lee said. “We love it when they pass, pass, pass, pass, pass and there’s a shot. We love it.”
As much as they loved the team and celebrated from Korea when the Spurs won the championship, they said they were missing the full experience. They wanted to know what it’s like to cheer alongside 18,000 fans, to hear the squeaking of sneakers in person and take in the atmosphere of an NBA game.
When Manu Ginobili announced he was returning for the 2015-16 season over summer, Ha and Lee decided this would be their season.
“There was news in Korea that he was going to retire,” Lee said. “We were so worried that we missed him, so we said that we have to come to San Antonio as soon as we can.”
lchan@attcenter.com
Twitter:@lornechan