San Antonio Spurs NBA Basketball Team have their Own Nuns - Salesian Sisters' have Gone Viral as the ‘Spurs Nuns’

Holy Hoops: How the Viral ‘Spurs Nuns’ Became the Heart of San Antonio’s NBA Finals Run

ESPN recently covered the relationship of the Salesian Sisters to the Spurs Basketball team. The San Antonio Spurs have always relied on a bit of the extraordinary. From the "Twin Towers" era of David Robinson and Tim Duncan to the generational arrival of Victor Wembanyama, the franchise has a habit of finding magic. But although the Spurs lost the game with the New York Knicks in the 2026 NBA Finals, their most compelling source of power wasn't a draft lottery win or from their Coach Popovich.

Their spiritual powerbank is a group of Catholic women religious from San Antonio’s West Side: the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco.

Dressed in silver and black team jerseys layered over their traditional habits, the "Spurs Nuns" have transformed from a beloved local fixture into a full-blown national sensation, infusing the high-stakes pressure of the NBA Finals with a dose of pure, unadulterated joy.

"This is what young people need," says Sister Cherilly Galley. "They need the Lord, they need faith, and they need fun. That is why we are cheering on the Spurs."

The Prayer Heard ’Round the Internet

The sisters have quietly supported the Spurs for over two decades, a tradition that trace back to retired sisters writing letters to Gregg Popovich (who warmly wrote back and even visited them). However, their modern viral stardom exploded during a tense Western Conference Finals series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Before Game 4, backup center Luke Kornet—a devout Catholic known to review local parishes while on the road—spotted the sisters courtside. He walked over to say a quick hello, and Sister Bernadette Mota spontaneously asked, "Can we pray for you?"

Kornet agreed, the sisters offered a blessing, and San Antonio went on to secure a blowout win. Social media exploded, declaring the blessing an "unfair stat buff." Kornet was so moved by the moment that he advocated for the team to fly the sisters out to Oklahoma for Game 5.

"We Are Not a Good Luck Charm"

While the basketball world has quickly labeled them a good luck charm, the sisters themselves are quick to ground the phenomenon in something much deeper. When offers flooded in to fund luxury trips for them to attend away games in Oklahoma City and New York, the sisters politely declined.

Instead, they chose to stay home on the West Side, hosting watch parties with their community and focusing on their primary ministry: running the St. John Bosco Elementary School and educating local youth.

"We’re super blessed and humbled that now more people know about the Salesian Sisters," says Sister Sydney Moss, the province's vocation director. "We’re not a good luck charm, but we just enjoy being united with the people of San Antonio and the Spurs. Our whole mission is to lead young people closer to Christ, and this has given us a wonderful bridge to do that."

The connection is deeply authentic. Several of the sisters, including Sister Moss and Sister Mota, grew up playing competitive basketball through high school. Sister Mota was once such a student of the game that she aspired to coach the UCLA women's basketball team under the philosophy of legendary coach John Wooden.

Leaning Into the Divine

The Spurs themselves have completely embraced their spiritual cheering section. Rookie guard Dylan Harper has a natural connection to the group, having attended Don Bosco Preparatory High School, a Salesian school in New Jersey.

Even the team’s biggest star, Victor Wembanyama, has made a habit of acknowledging the sisters whenever he runs out of the tunnel. Before Game 1 of the Finals against the Knicks, Wembanyama explicitly stopped by their seats to ask the sisters to pray for him. The team has leaned so far into the cosmic energy that Wembanyama even arrived for a crucial elimination game earlier in the playoffs dressed in a Shaolin-inspired monk outfit—a nod to his offseason training in China, but a perfect aesthetic match for the team's holy helpers.

As the Finals rage on against the Knicks, the city of San Antonio is covered in the narrative. Local transit buses feature graphics of the sisters, and fans have even begun showing up to games dressed in makeshift nun habits.

For the Salesian Sisters, the attention is a welcome tool to fund their cash-strapped school, which serves predominantly lower-income families and requires fundraising over one million dollars annually just to keep operational. But above all, it’s a chance to show the world a different side of faith.

The Salesians Sisters wrote on their website: "In a culture often marked by division, the simple image of us cheering together has resonated with many; even fans from opposing teams have asked to take photos with us. By meeting people where they are, even courtside, we continue to witness to hope, peace, and joy rooted in Christ."

Sources: https://salesiansisterswest.org/blog/salesian-sisters-and-spurs-joyful-connection

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/48978546/divine-nuns-victor-wembanyama-san-antonio-spurs-nba-finals-hopes-new-york-knicks