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Tony Parker: 'My dream is to coach in the NBA'
Tony Parker: When I stepped onto the court, it reminded me of my basketball camps when I was in Fécamp. Last October, after my first discussion with Pop (Gregg Popovich, his coach at the Spurs between 2001 and 2018) , I felt this strong desire. I asked him for advice, the Spurs opened the doors to me in January, February, March, where I was able to observe everything over seven or ten days. Then, I had a long discussion with Zizou (Zinédine Zidane) and Titi (Thierry Henry), who convinced me to do the DES. Because in itself, I don't need it to coach in the NBA. And my dream is to coach in the NBA. But I said to myself, why not go back to school (smile) ! This year, I'm going to take the DES. I hope I'll pass it in May, and then start a coaching career.
Steve Kerr: I'm well aware the reason I'm still coaching here is because of Stephen Curry
“I’m well aware that the reason I’m still here is because Steph Curry is still here,” Kerr said on a recent episode of the "Glue Guys Podcast." “And I’m not being modest, I’m just telling the truth. Gregg Popovich is one of my best friends and mentors, and every time we sit down for dinner, he holds up his wine glass and he says, 'Here's to Tim Duncan.' "And everyone toasts to Tim Duncan. I love it because it's genuine and he's basically telling us the only reason I -- and we -- are all here is because the lottery fell our way, we got Tim Duncan. Other people didn't. That's how I feel about Steph."
Should the Lakers’ accomplishment be looked at with skepticism, like Morey suggests? Law Murray: Congratulations to everyone involved in the 2020 bubble, but I’m good on never talking about this season again. It was a terrible time for everything, including basketball, and here we are discussing salty executive opinions. Yes, the season was different. It certainly benefited some teams more than others to get a four-month break, then have no travel while the postseason played out. But every team knew the circumstances going in. The Lakers got the 16 wins that no one else could get. Asterisk talk is always insufferable, and it all started with a Lakers coach trying to invalidate what Gregg Popovich and the 1999 San Antonio Spurs achieved. At least that team won another title within five years.
The teenager said he felt like a giddy fan moments later when he saw former Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich and forward Tim Duncan. “I turn around and in the corner of my eye I just saw them walking by,” Harper, 19, recently told Andscape. “So, you know I had to go dap them up and take the video. It caught me off guard. I was like, ‘What are they doing here?’ I was like, ‘Maybe they’re just here this one day?’ And they’re like, ‘No, they are here all the time.’ And so, when they talk about the Spurs’ organization and their culture, that’s really what culture is. … “I met Pop the first day I was there and Tim. Pop was there getting treatment and doing exercises. That is not regular in any NBA gym. You see a Hall of Fame coach, a Hall of Fame player walking around the gym. And they are there like every day. I can pick their brain and ask questions.”
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NBA officially credits Mitch Johnson with 77 games coached last season
Tim Reynolds: The NBA - working with the Spurs - has adjusted Gregg Popovich's career record, now crediting Mitch Johnson with the 77 games he coached. Pop's new record: 1,390-824, still the most wins in NBA history. Johnson went 32-45 in those 77 games, which no longer count toward Pop.
What about any Popovich stories you got? Stephon Castle: Aye—Pop? Pop, that's my guy. I only got to—Coach Pop only coached me for like five games, bro. And then—yeah, because he's not... yeah, he only coached me like five games, and he had that incident. Yeah bro, Pop cool as []. Pop hella energetic. He'll be dancing in practice and []. Interviewer: Really? Stephon Castle: I swear—you turn music on, he'll start dancing in practice and [__].
Victor Wembanyama on Gregg Popovich: He works harder than most athletes in the world
Victor Wembanyama admitted he was shocked when Gregg Popovich stepped down in early May after 29 seasons as the team’s mentor. He moved to a front office position with Mitch Johnson taking over Popovich’s former role. “First of all, the person,” Wembanyama said. “We were all really close. We all have really good relationships between the teammates and him. It’s always sad and shocking when something like this happens. What’s incredible with him is that he keeps giving hope being the person that he is. He keeps inspiring us. Because the way he works, he works harder than most athletes in the world.”
Dejounte Murray: Gregg Popovich tried to move my mom to San Antonio with his own money after she got shot
Dejounte Murray on Gregg Popovich: So for me, he was like a father figure. There’s so many stories—if he were able to sit here and talk, he’d tell you: he’s never had a player come into his office and cry on his shoulder about how many murders he had to deal with back home in Seattle, how many funerals I had to pay for. It was so crazy—a lot of my people don’t even know this. From family, friends, and the penitentiary... Pop didn’t want me to go to Seattle. When I first got drafted, I wouldn’t go to Seattle. And that was a man who cared about me. That was a man who wanted me to reach my full potential in life first—then as a basketball player. He’s so real. He tried to move my mom to San Antonio with his own money after she got shot. My mom was shot in the leg my rookie year. He called her himself—without me knowing until after the fact. "We want to move you here." No—not with his money, with my money. That sounds like a dude that cares about me and loves me, right?
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The Sonics were the team Kerr was referencing. That exception was his cleanest path to get Phoenix out of the tax. He knew Presti from their time together in San Antonio, and Kerr estimated they spent two weeks negotiating the specifics of the deal that would send Thomas to Seattle attached to assets. “Sam knew exactly what he was doing,” Kerr said. “I knew how smart he was and how well-prepared for the job he was just from being with (Gregg Popovich) and R.C. (Buford) and learning the ropes from them. I was a young GM. I’m put in this position that I have to make this deal. Business is business. We ended up giving up two unprotected firsts.”
Jeremy Sochan says Gregg Popovich once tossed him from practice
San Antonio Spurs' Jeremy Sochan joined the "HoopsFix" show to talk about his time in the NBA, the media, his NBA goals, and more. It was a great interview, where he shared a funny moment he had with former Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich and getting tossed from practice. "I think in one practice, he saw me and he thought I could give more effort. For him, it's a way to show and teach you a lesson. He just told me to get out," Sochan said.
"We had LaMarcus Aldridge on the show last year. He kind of detailed—low-key—the falling out between Pop and Kawhi. Did you see that up close and personal? What was your take?" Danny Green: "I saw some of what was happening. I never—till this day—asked Kawhi, between me and him, what happened. I’ve heard from other people about things that went down, and I can give you my version—my mathematics—of what I think happened." "I think his uncle had a lot to do with what was going on. A lot of influence. And I think once his uncle saw some things he didn’t like—it was like, 'Alright, we’re not doing this. We’re not going to deal with this.' You know, in San Antonio, they don’t treat anybody like superstars. And I think Kawhi’s uncle—rightfully so—believed he should’ve been treated like one. But Timmy didn’t care. Timmy never asked for that treatment, so Pop never had to treat him like a superstar."
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