John Begzos (April 7, 1942 – September 1, 2004) was an American sports executive who served as general manager of the San Antonio Spurs and Kansas City Kings. Early life Begzos was born on April 7, 1942, in Detroit to John and Laura Begtzos. He graduated from Walled Lake High School in 1960. He then worked as an assistant golf professional and studied at Michigan State University until 1967, when he joined the United States Army. He served in the 196th Light Infantry Brigade of the Americal Division during the Vietnam War and was awarded three Purple Hearts, the Bronze Star Medal with the "V" device, and the Silver Star. After receiving a medical discharge he returned to Michigan State and received his accounting degree. Career Begzos began his career as a ticket manager for the Oklahoma City 89ers. He then served as the general manager of the San Antonio Brewers. In 1973 he was named the Texas League's executive of the year. When the Dallas Chaparrals of the American Basketball Association moved to San Antonio, Begzos became the team's sales manager. The team struggled to draw fans early on due to the area's unfamiliarity with basketball and a strike that delayed the start of the team's first season. In order to draw fans, Begzos offered Larry Braun and David Boyle, two local sports fans he knew from his time with the Brewers, discounted seats if they could help bring in fans. The pair formed the Baseline Bums and placed in ad in the local newspaper for "loud beer drinkers" to join their group. The Bums were, according to Pat Putnam of Sports Illustrated "basketball's loudest and frequently most profane cheerleaders". The Spurs ended up averaging 6,594 spectators a game during their first season. General manager Jack Ankerson left the team after the inaugural season to take the same job with the Virginia Squires and Bergzos was chosen to succeed him. He held this position for five seasons, during which time the Spurs made the playoffs every year and were one of the four of the remaining six accepted into the National Basketball Association as part of the ABA–NBA merger. By his final season as GM, the team's average attendance per game had risen to just under 12,000. In 1979, Begzos left the Spurs to become executive vice president and general manager of the Kansas City Kings. During his first