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You could call James Silas one of the "charter members" of the Spurs' organization.Once a starting guard for the ABA's Dallas Chaparrals, Silas was on the first Spurs roster when a group of investors bought the club and moved it to the Alamo City in the summer of 1973. That fall, Silas was in the Spurs' opening night starting lineup.
Silas remembers a city hungry for a professional sports team. But, he recalls that he and his teammates didn't know what to expect when they came to San Antonio.
In Dallas, he says, it was hard to compete with the Dallas Cowboys for fan loyalty.
But in San Antonio, "All of a sudden we were just like family."
At 6-3, 190 lbs, Silas was the Spurs' first team captain, and soon got the nickname "Captain Late" for an almost uncanny ability to knock down driving jump shots at the buzzer. Captain Late rode to the rescue time after time, even though every member of the opposing team knew he would be the man to take the last shot for the Spurs.
"Captain Late" terrorized opposing teams with his all-out hustle.
On offense, he frustrated his opponents with medium-range jump shots or slashing lay-ups night after night. In fact, then-Head Coach Bob Bass designed a play explicity for Silas. The "one-four" is still used today and even used by Michael Jordan and Anfernee Hardaway.
Defensively, Silas could fix his stare on opponents and almost scare the ball out of their hands if he didn't make an outright steal. He was not reluctant to bump bodies, either.
Like other former Spurs of that period, he was able to experience the team's success as it moved from the ABA to the NBA in 1976.
"It was a blessing," Silas says. "It was good for us as players, and for the fans, too."
Earlier in the 1975-76 season, Silas was the team's leader in scoring and assists. He was also an ABA All-Star and the first Spur to make the All-ABA First Team. He was also the first Spur to score more than 2,000 points in a season.
In 1983, Silas' No. 13 jersey would be the first number ever retired by the Spurs.
Source: NBA.com
Pictures Courtesy of Remember the ABA
