City officials have reportedly tried to sway San Antonio's Minor League Baseball team away from considering the site, because they'd rather see it go to the Spurs.
The project comes with a $100,000 honorarium, which Benavides will use to cover the cost of creating one of downtown's highest-profile pieces of public art.
The Miami Heat have expressed interest in the Spurs power forward, whom a study called one of the most overpaid benchwarmers in the league last season.
Spurs fan were quick to ridicule a tone-deaf tweet by an NBA blogger claiming the Golden State player was the reason for the record-setting attendance.