Gregg Popovich announced retirement from his 29-year NBA coaching career after stepping down from the Spurs’ head coaching role due to health concerns. After his retirement was announced, the NBA world blew up with reactions giving an ode to the Spurs head coach’s legendary career.
According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, when Ime Udoka was asked about Gregg Popovich, he revealed his influence on the Game 6 result of the Warriors series, where the Rockets came out on top by 8 points (115-108). As per the report, the Spurs legend had some “X’s and O’s” for his former assistant, Udoka, on how to extend the series against another coach who built his basketball knowledge under Popovich, i.e, Steve Kerr. “He gave me some pointers”, said Udoka when asked about his discussion with Popovic.
Steve Kerr and Ime Udoka’s History With Gregg Popovich
In his illustrious NBA career, Popovich influenced a lot of iconic basketball minds. Among them were both Steve Kerr and Gregg Popovich. Both played under his tutelage in the Spurs at different points in time before taking up individual coaching careers. While Kerr moved on to coach the Warriors, Udoka first became an assistant coach under Popovich at the Spurs.
Kerr won a championship with Coach Popovich in 2003 as a player, whereas Udoka won one with him as an assistant coach in 2014. That championship pedigree helped both these coaches learn a lot of their coaching philosophies from him. Udoka and Kerr also clashed in the NBA Finals in 2022 when Udoka was coaching the Celtics. Since Kerr won that matchup, maybe Coach Pop thought Udoka could use his help this time to beat the Warriors.
How Steve Kerr And Ime Udoka Reacted To Gregg Popovich’s Retirement
When the news of Popovich’s retirement broke on the internet, media members made sure to ask both Kerr and Udoka about their reactions to the news during the Rockets vs. Warriors series. Kerr wore a T-shirt during his press conference that said “Thanks, Pop.”
“Pop is going to kill me for wearing this shirt,” Kerr joked. “He’s going to call me a hapless rube for wearing this shirt”, he said. When reflecting on how this would impact the Spurs organization, Kerr said, “I know this is a pretty emotional day for the Spurs. It is for the entire NBA. The number of people Pop has influenced, the number of coaches in his coaching tree, it’s incredible.”
“Pop is one of the most important people in my life for many, many reasons. Most of them go way beyond basketball. It’s a sad day. It’s also an encouraging day … because this is a natural transition for him organizationally to move into his next role.”, he further added while talking of Popovich’s impact on his life.
When Udoka was asked about his reaction, he said, “It’s a bittersweet day obviously for all of us, but happy he’s in a good place, and happy he’s good with his family… Special day, special person — obviously one of the best to do it and glad I got a chance to work with him, learn from him and call him a friend.”
Popovich undoubtedly had one of the greatest careers in the history of the NBA. Five championships across 29 years is a feat we may never see again from a coach. Do you think Popovich’s advice will help the Rockets beat the Warriors in Game 7 as well?
