Following the announcement of Gregg Popovich’s retirement from coaching, players who used to play under Popovich, such as Kawhi Leonard, have praised the 76-year-old for his impact on the game.
Leonard played a lot of his career under Popovich’s tutelage and achieved a lot during his time with the San Antonio Spurs. Hence, he had nothing but praise for his former coach.
Leonard Sends Message of Appreciation to Gregg Popovich
While talking with reporters on May 3, Leonard praised Popovich for his approach to the game and Popovich’s impact on Leonard as a player. He also wished him the best after his health scare.
“He had a phenomenal career. He coached until pretty much he couldn’t in a sense. It shows how much dedication he had to the game, how much he loved the game, and how much he gave to the game. I appreciate everything he’s done for me. Coming into the league, he helped build my foundation and showed me how to win. I want to congratulate him on his career. But also, stay healthy,” Leonard told reporters, per HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto.
Kawhi Leonard on Gregg Popovich: "He had a phenomenal career. He coached until pretty much he couldn't in a sense. It shows how much dedication he had to the game, how much he loved the game, and how much he gave to the game. I appreciate everything he's done for me. Coming into… pic.twitter.com/OVC0Gvs8fF
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto)
These are phenomenal words to hear from Leonard since he had a very turbulent exit from the Spurs franchise back in 2018. Despite his time not ending on the best note in San Antonio, Leonard still had the utmost respect for Popovich.
That’s a reputation well-earned for Popovich because he was involved with the Spurs for four decades of basketball for the franchise, making them one of the most legendary franchises during that time. With Popovich, the Spurs won five titles, and their last one came with Leonard leading the charge in 2014.
That’s also kind of a big shame because Leonard could have potentially led the Spurs to more championships, as he was still in his prime when he decided he wanted to leave.
Leonard’s career could have turned out differently had he never been under Popovich’s wing for the first seven years of his career. In fact, there’s no telling how much different Leonard’s career would have been had he stuck with Popovich and the Spurs.
What’s done is done, and the biggest headline from this is that despite the falling out between Leonard and the Spurs, the two-time champion still had plenty of admiration for his former coach. Popovich will go down as one of the best NBA coaches of all time, so it’s fitting that one of the best players he ever coached gushed about him when he had the chance.
