Gregg Popovich Skips Spurs vs. Suns Game to Wait on Tim Duncan HOF Ceremony
Rocky Widner/NBAE by process of Getty Photography
The San Antonio Spurs had to play Saturday’s recreation in opposition to the Phoenix Suns with out head coach Gregg Popovich for a actually factual cause.
Per Tim Reynolds of the Connected Press, Popovich went to Springfield, Massachusetts, to relieve Tim Duncan’s induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Status.
Duncan suggested Reynolds that his bond with Popovich started when the Spurs coach flew to the Virgin Islands to fulfill with him ahead of the 1997 NBA draft:
“It started there, it started with him going out of his manner to have to perceive who I modified into as an particular particular person, desperate to fulfill my mates, desperate to fulfill my father, sit down and keep up a correspondence with him. It started there. And he constructed that have faith from early on, factual looking out to be pleased who I modified into—now no longer factual as a basketball participant, nonetheless as an particular particular person and beyond.”
Popovich modified into Duncan’s head coach for his entire 19-yr profession. The duo won five NBA championships together and made the playoffs yearly from 1998 to 2016.
The Spurs went 1,072-438 during that span and by no manner won fewer than 50 contests in an 82-recreation season during Duncan’s profession.
Three years after Duncan retired, Popovich brought him support to the Spurs as an assistant coach for the 2019-20 season. He made his debut as head coach on March 3, 2020, in opposition to the Charlotte Hornets when Popovich uncared for the recreation for deepest reasons.
Duncan stepped down as an assistant in November.
Assistant Mitch Johnson served as the performing head coach for the Spurs on Saturday. They misplaced 140-103 to the Suns.
San Antonio (33-38) has already clinched the No. 10 seed within the Western Conference and the final teach within the play-in tournament.