“I love to show my pride. I’m proud of the Spurs. No matter what I love them so much,” said the diehard Spurs fan who ultimately became an icon in San Antonio. Every NBA franchise has that one fan that will remain etched in everyone’s hearts. One such crazy fan, if we can say it respectfully, was Sovia Lauriano, who was also referred to as the ‘Spurs lady’. The Texas franchise players weren’t the ones to entertain the rest but Lauriano as well, as she became an integral part of the Spurs fandom.

On Saturday, after decades of supporting her favorite team and entertaining the rest of the fans, The Spurs lady breathed her last breath. Lauriano suffered a cardiac arrest, according to her family. The San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg, speaking of her demise, said, “San Antonio has lost an irreplaceable thread in the fabric of our community.” Notably, the super fan had suffered cardiac arrest multiple times before this and even underwent bypass surgeries.

Moreover, even during her tough times, Sovia Lauriano remembered the Spurs family. Last year, recovering from a heart surgery, she passed on a message that read, “She wanted to thank everyone for the prayers and let the San Antonio Spurs and Coach Pop know she is now recovering,” a social media post from  Tobias-Struski. That’s the same amount of love she receives from the Spurs fans.

One of the indispensable parts of Sovia’s fan attraction is her over-the-top costume featuring plenty of the Spurs’ gear. Importantly, she won’t repeat her costume and always came up with innovations for her every single game visit. Speaking of it, Sovia said, “I like for people when they watch me differently. Their smiles and they are so happy and ask me ‘What’s next?’ I tell them, ‘I don’t know’… I have gone to a funeral wearing… Spurs gears,” in a 5-year-old interview. Apart from her love for the Spurs, she had also passed a valuable lesson for her followers. 

Sovia Laurino’s valuable life lesson

The grand Spurs fan always advocated to live the fullest. Even with a health condition like that, Sovia managed to check one of her bucket lists. It was to meet Spurs’ 2o23 N0.1 pick Victor Wembanyama. When he came down to San Antonio for the first time, Sovia got a visit to the airport with the help of a fellow Spurs fan. That’s when she referred to Spurs fans as her “family”.

Unfortunately, Sovia could only get a glimpse of the 7 ‘4 baller but couldn’t meet him personally. However, it was soon fulfilled when Mark Burnett, another diehard Spurs fan shared the picture of Wemby and Sovia posing together with a wholesome caption that read, “Spurs Lady and @wemby is the most wholesome content you’ll see across you’re (sic) feeds today!”

Importantly, Sovia could pull off this much energy for the Spurs despite her health condition. Speaking of which, she said, “I flatlined four times, triple bypass and blood clot in my knee. And my doctor said, if I wasn’t as active as I am, I wouldn’t have made it” And, speaking from her life experience, she also dropped wisdom to the fellow being, saying, “You gotta live every day like it’s your last and you got to be happy. Smile and talk to everybody. Hug them.” Truly inspiring words. What do you make of her love for the Spurs? Let us know in the comments.