Open Thread: Bill Land has been a big part of the Spurs experience for fans

When people think of the San Antonio Spurs, they think of the 17 guys who put on the Silver and Black uniforms, and maybe Gregg Popovich, and his staff, who handle the coaching duties. But the Spurs organization is much bigger than that, and there are many people who contribute to the success of the organization and the enjoyment of fans, from the stadium maintenance crew to the people who put together the broadcasts, all coordinated and managed by Spurs Sports & Entertainment.

Bill Land has been the play-by-play announcer for the television broadcasts for the past 17 years for SS&E, and he’s been a fan favorite for his curmudgeonly attitudes (second only to Sean Elliott), his “Oh Mama!” calls when there’s a spectacular Spurs play on defense or offense, and his fun interactions with his Sean Elliot in the booth and the players on the court. This year, he’s been working more with Michelle Beadle and Matt Bonner, who taught Bill how to say ‘sus’ when something is fishy, and it’s been a delight to see all of them at courtside having fun together.

Bill is done with Spurs broadcasts this season, and we don’t know yet if he’ll be back next year. Now is a good time to reflect on how much he’s given to the fans and the team over his career. His partnership with Sean Elliott makes watching games fun, because the interplay between them is a vocal ballet, and you can tell from watching them over the years how much they learned from each other and got better over time.

Bill always has fun at his job, but he’s a real professional, and in 2019, he played through pain to announce a game in New York despite breaking his wrist and getting severe lacerations in an unfortunate fall. He always gives credit to his team and support staff, but he has a dedication to excellence that’s easy to see. Despite the Spurs losing record this year, it’s always a joy to watch a game called by him, because he loves his job, the team and the fans. If Bill does decide to retire this off season (and he’s earned it), we fans owe him a great debt of gratitude for the years of watching enjoyment he’s been giving us since 2007.

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