- Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown shares an amazing story about Gregg Popovich
- Popovich helped Brown spend extra time with his kids during divorce
- Coach Pop warned Brown that he’d fire him if he got on a plane
The San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich has been with the franchise since 1988. Evidently, he has become a legendary figure within the organization. While bringing success to the team is a crucial reason for his great reputation, the way he helped his staff is another.
Former assistant coach of the San Antonio Spurs Mike Brown recently shared one such story. Brown spoke to Mark Medina of Sporskeeda in an exclusive interview.
“There are a ton of them,” Brown said. “Everybody speaks about how he is a great coach and how his coaching tree is strong. That’s true. He’s going to go down as the best, if not one of the best to coach the game at the highest level. A lot of times, though, they don’t speak about his character and makeup as a human being.
“I was going through a divorce [in 2015]. I was living in San Antonio and working with the Spurs. My wife, who I was going through a divorce with, was living in Denver, Colo. My two boys were really young. I didn’t get to see them much during the season. I’d fly my younger sister from Las Vegas to Denver to pick up my two boys and she’d fly them to San Antonio.”
Brown was about to get on a plane to return back to his job. But what Gregg Popovich said next increased his respect in Mike Brown’s eyes.
“They were out with me and I was taking them to the airport,” he added. “I was about to go on a plane for an East Coast swing. I had them at the gate. But they were bawling and didn’t want to get on a plane. So I called Pop and told him, ‘I’m at the airport, but I’m putting my sister and kids on a plane. I’ll be right over.’ He said, ‘Mike, don’t worry about it. Stay with your kids.’
“I said, ‘Pop, I have the next scout. I just have to get them on the plane and I’ll be there.’ Pop said, ‘Mike, stay with your kids and don’t come on this trip. I don’t expect you to come on this plane.’ I said, ‘Pop, everything will be okay.’ He then said, ‘If you get on this plane, I’ll fire you.’ So I stayed with my kids and missed the East Coast swing.”
Brown concluded: “Budenholzer was an assistant. and so he covered my scouting assignments. I stayed an extra five days with my kids. That’s one of my favorite Pop stories. I’m glad he didn’t fire me. I needed the job.”
At the time, Brown was in between jobs. He parted ways with the Cleveland Cavaliers after the 2013-14 season, where he led them to a 33-49 record. Considering Brown worked as an assistant coach for the Spurs from 2000 to 2003, Popovich offered him a job.
After working with the Spurs, Brown would go on to be an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors for six seasons. Last season, he landed the job of the head coach of the Sacramento Kings and led them to their first appearance in the playoffs in 16 years.
The Sacramento Kings Are Heading Into The Right Direction With Mike Brown
The Sacramento Kings finished the 2022-23 season as the third seed in the Western Conference with a 48-34 record.
For turning things around for the Kings, Brown was named the NBA’s Coach of the Year for turning things around for the Kings. He became the first coach in NBA history to unanimously win the award.
As for the Kings, they were eliminated in the postseason in the First Round. The Kings were matched up against the Warriors. While the Kings were hungry for success, the experienced Warriors won the series 4-3.
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