San Antonio Spurs legendary coach Gregg Popovich grabbed the arena microphone in the middle of the game between the Spurs and the Los Angeles Clippers. The coach did not like the behavior of the home crowd.
The Los Angeles Clippers, who started the season sluggishly in the NBA basketball league, defeated the San Antonio Spurs at the tail end of the Western Conference on the away court with points of 109–102.
The result of the match was expected, but in the second quarter Spurs head coach legend Gregg Popovich surprised by taking the arena microphone for himself when the Clippers’ star player Kawhi Leonard was shooting free throws.
The home crowd of Spurs had throughout the beginning of the match booed every time Leonard touched the ball.
– Excuse me for a moment. Can we stop booing and let these guys play? We don’t act like this, stop booing, Popovich charged into the microphone.
The background of the audience’s booing is the events of a few years ago. In 2018, the then Spurs star player Leonard demanded a transfer away from the club. In the end, the powerhouse, who was one of the best players in the world, was transferred to Toronto.
Watch video of the incident below, published by sports website The Athletic in X.
Leonard won the NBA championship in his first season with the Canadian team. In recent years, the Spurs have fallen from being among the top teams in the NBA to the tail end of the league.
Popovich justified his decision in a press conference after the game.
– Anyone who knows a little bit about sports knows that you shouldn’t wake up a sleeping bear, Popovich stated briefly.
The experienced coach did not agree to say anything else, despite the journalists’ detailed questions.
The home crowd did not ignore Popovich’s call, but continued to boo Leonard when he touched the ball.
Popovich and Leonard have a long history together. An experienced coach coached Leonard during the player’s first NBA years with the Spurs. The duo won the NBA championship together in 2014.
Popovich is the longest-tenured active head coach in the NBA, including other major North American sports leagues. He has coached Spurs since 1996.
The behavior of the home crowd in the match did not really affect Leonard. He was the point king of the match with 26 points. He hit a convincing 58.8 percent of his field goal throws. Spurs’ best scorer was a star rookie Victor Wenbanyama. The French giant scored 22 points.
The young Spurs team commanded by Popovich has now lost ten games in a row.