NBA
WATCH: Gregg Popovich took the mic to demand respect as Spurs’ crowd booed Kawhi Leonard
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All posts by Antonio KozlowUpdated23 Nov 2023
During the second quarter of Wednesdays’ clash between the Clippers and Spurs in San Antonio, the home crowd began to boo their former player Kawhi Leonard. As this happened, coach Gregg Popovich took the mic and asked everyone to show some respect.
The audience made a ruckus at the Front Bank Center as the Los Angeles star dropped in the first of his two free throws. It was at this point when the legendary trainer decided to put an end to this. He made a gesture towards referee Tyler Ford, walked up to the scorer’s table and took the mic.
“Excuse me for a second,” Popovich issed the plea. “Can we stop all the booing and let these guys play? It’s got no class. That’s not who we are. Knock off the booing.”
SPURS COACH GREGG POVOVICH ASKS CROWD TO STOP BOOING WITH FORMER SAN ANTONIO PLAYER KAWHI LEONARD AT THE LINE. 🖤
Think Dyche will do this when Anthony Gordon comes back to Goodison. 😜
— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) November 23, 2023
At this point, there were 3:06 minutes left in the first half, as the Texan franchise was trailing by 9 points, 48 to 39. This only incited the crowd to yell even louder when Kawhi hit the second free throw, extending the lead to 10 points.
Despite the noise, the home team’s fans motivated the Spurs and you could even say they played a part as they almost rallied back from a 17-point difference.
After the game, Popovich was in no mood to get into it. “I think anybody that knows anything about sports knows you don’t poke the bear,” he said. “That’s all I need to say. I just told you why I did it. I gave you the answer,” Popovich said. “There’s no other questions that need to be asked.”
Even the rest of the San Antonio squad showed their respect for the Clippers forward. “[Leonard has] done so much for this organization,” Jeremy Sochan said. “There’s no need to disrespect him like that. I guess it’s a part of the game, but at the same time he’s a human, too. I respect what coach Pop did.”
Kawhi seemed unbothered by the fans chanting against him, and even said he’s used to this kind of behavior
After the match, Leonard seemed as taciturn as always, almost entirely unbothered by the reception he received inside the San Antonio arena.
“If I don’t have a Spurs jersey on, they’re probably going to boo me for the rest of my career,” he shared. “They’re [some] of the best fans in the league and they’re very competitive. Once I step on this basketball court out here, they show they’re going for the other side. And when I’m on the streets or going into restaurants, they show love.”
In the video above, check out the veteran star’s reaction once the game was over. He was seen talking to Popovich before attending the press.
Kawhi played the first seven campaigns of his career under Gregg and even went on to win the 2014 championship, along with the Finals MVP and two Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year accolades.
