When Pop speaks, the Spurs listen.
San Antonio was blown out by the Thunder 123-108 in Game 3 on Friday, leading to former coach Hall of Famer Gregg Popovich giving the team a tongue-lashing for the first time all season.
His message clearly resounded with the Spurs as they responded with a 103-82 Game 4 win to tie the Western Conference finals at 2-2.
“We lost Game 3 … but that was the first time he walked into the locker room and was like, ‘Nah, that’s BS. That’s not how we play basketball,’ and obviously he had some choice words for us,” Spurs star De’Aaron Fox told NBC after the blowout win Sunday night. “That was the first time all season that he came into the locker room right after a game and told us how he felt.”
Popovich doesn’t stand on the sidelines barking directions to his players anymore, he was seen sitting in a luxury box next to Tim Duncan during Game 4.
A video of Popovich speaking to star center Victor Wembanyama went viral on social media ahead of Game 3, with the Frenchman listening intently, hanging on every word.
The future Hall of Fame coach has tutored Wembanyama since he entered the league, acting as his coach for his first full season and then for five games in the 2024-25 season.
The 77-year-old Popovich still has plenty of connections with this Spurs roster, as he stepped down as the coach in May 2025 after suffering a stroke, which has limited his physical condition and forced him to relinquish the role. Mitch Johnson in his second season replacing him.
“Every team gets blown out, but just mentality-wise, I think that was one of the worst games we had probably of the season,” Fox said of the Game 3 home loss, per ESPN. “Then, Pop came in after the game. He saw it, we all saw it. We all felt it. Coming into this game, we wanted to make sure that mentality was out the door. Even if we lost this game, as long as we came in with the right mentality and played the right way, we could be OK with losing the game. The way that we lost [Game 3] I think hurt more than losing the game, and that was pretty much for everybody in the locker room.”
After a historic 29-year run in San Antonio, Popovich, who started in December 1996, won five titles as the team’s coach, dominating with a Duncan-led tandem.
The Spurs now head back to Oklahoma City for Game 5.
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