SAN ANTONIO — Every morning, Val Gutierrez makes sure that his 33-year-old business, Sanchez Ice House, is clean and up and running. 

“You know good vibes, older crowd, we have an older crowd. Now we are getting second and third generations...now they are bringing their kids, little kids,” Gutierrez said. 

It’s nestled in between San Antonio’s West Side and downtown with a very welcoming motto. 

“'This is where friends meet friends, Sanchez Ice House,' donde amigos encuetran amigos,” Gutierrez said. 

It’s a gem where puro Spurs fans always came to watch Tim Duncan’s two decades of dominance during the playoffs. They are far from those glory days but there’s hope now that the silver and black have the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA draft. 

Mario Sanchez, also known as “Mario from the barrio,” is a regular at the ice house and he says it’s about time. 

“It’s been a long time coming that the Spurs got the No. 1 pick and it’s about time,” Sanchez said. 

The world is pretty sure that on June 22 the Spurs will select 7-foot-3 phenom Victor Wembanyama, who Gutierrez believes will bring a lot to the city’s economy, including his ice house.

“They want to watch this guy, and I think that is going to be pretty awesome,” Gutierrez said.

That sentiment is shared by Jason Tucker, who owns McFinnigan’s Sports Pub on San Antonio’s North Side, which is hard for him considering he’s a diehard Houston Rockets fan. 

“I would never say 'go Spurs go,' but 100% go Spurs go; they are going to pay the bills a lot easier,” Tucker said. 

He says it’s rare when a patron requests a Spurs game on the televisions, but that’s obviously changing as he says business will be booming with Spurs fans.

“I would say the number is through the roof, 500%, 1,000%,” Tucker said. 

That’s just off of sales from Spurs fans alone. 

His business partner, Andrew Borrego, who is a sports attorney, says those numbers are pretty accurate. 

"Everything that I read about it, I think the Spurs franchise value increased by half a billion dollars, so that trickles down to the ma and pop businesses,” Borrego said. 

Wembanyama, who is the biggest draft prospect since LeBron James, had Spurs fans celebrating and he hasn’t even been drafted yet. His presence alone will draw traffic to cantinas and sports bars all across San Antonio.  

Gutierrez is looking forward to busting out the giant projector screen come playoff time and hopefully celebrate another championship. 

“You know, screaming, hollering, downtown, honking their horns and all that good stuff,” Gutierrez said.