Gregg Popovich caused a stir with an unusual move. The coach of the San Antonio Spurs took the microphone during the game against the LA Clippers and asked the audience to stop booing former Spurs player Kawhi Leonard.
It has now been five years since the San Antonio Spurs granted Kawhi Leonard’s request and traded the forward to the Toronto Raptors. Since then, the two-time Finals MVP has been consistently booed in San Antonio, including this time in the Clippers’ 109:102 win.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who won the fifth title in franchise history with Leonard in 2014, didn’t like that at all and resorted to an unusual measure in the second quarter when Leonard was at the free throw line. “Excuse me for a second. Can we stop booing this kid and just let her play? Show some class. That’s not what we stand for. Stop booing.”
There was little applause for the action, but that didn’t change the behavior of the fans. Instead, the booing was even louder, but that didn’t stop Leonard from scoring 26 points to lead his team to its second win in three days in San Antonio. Leonard himself stated that he didn’t even hear Popovich’s words. “I was fully focused on my free throws,” said The Claw.
Kawhi Leonard on Popovich’s speech
Popovich, however, noted that he didn’t want fans to provoke Leonard unnecessarily. “I think anyone who knows anything about sports knows that you shouldn’t goad the players.”
Even before the game, Leonard had spoken about the always heated atmosphere in San Antonio and stated that it was not a problem for him. “They will probably boo me for the rest of my career. They are some of the best fans in the NBA and want their team to win. (…) But if I’m on the street in San Antonio or going to a restaurant, then people are still nice.”
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2023-11-23 06:14:00
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