San Antonio, located in south-central Texas, United States, covered roughly 1,205 square kilometers. It was Texas's second-largest city and the seventh-most populous city in the United States.
First, it had a wealth of historic architectural sites. The mission compounds built by the Spanish in the 18th century combined churches, military fortresses, and residences into one. Hundreds of these stone structures remained to this day, becoming popular attractions.
Second, San Antonio was world-famous for its bustling yet verdant riverside promenade. Along the roughly 4.5-kilometer stretch of the San Antonio River stood restaurants, hotels, sidewalk cafés, souvenir shops, theaters, museums, and other buildings. All of them were located in the river valley below street level, so from the city streets above, all one could see was a valley full of towering trees—a magnificent sight.
The Lakers gathered for dinner at a hotel by the San Antonio River.
"I can't believe the Spurs had David Robinson shut down for the season right at the start just for a rookie."
"Everyone knows David faked the injury. He even rode Shaq to an Olympic Games gold medal in Atlanta this summer," Campbell said with his usual venomous tongue.
"Damn it, that wasn't riding anyone's coattails."
"And what was the great Shaq's scoring average?"
O'Neal stammered. Averaging fewer than ten points as a starter really was a little embarrassing, but hadn't he been conserving his strength for the Lakers' games? Besides, even scoring champion Barkley had averaged only 12.4 points. They were playing egalitarian basketball.
O'Neal hurriedly changed the subject. "Hey, Kobe. I heard Kareem Abdul-Jabbar called you a combination of Jerry West and Magic Johnson."
"That's quite an honor." It was an extraordinary compliment. Magic Johnson was undoubtedly the greatest point guard in history, and with Kobe standing 1.98 meters tall while playing point guard,