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Gregg Popovich owns the record for most regular-season wins in NBA history. He is known to be a stickler for discipline who demands the highest standard from his superstars down to the last man on the roster.
In his Hall of Fame speech, he candidly surprised basketball fans when he had this to say about the way he coached Tony Parker:
(23:15 mark)
With Tony, I just asked him to be perfect. ... If you could switch the social situations that we have now compared to back then, if I coached him now the way I did then, I would be in handcuffs.
Seriously, I would be behind bars. Don't you think Tony? ... I can't go back to those days. You gotta change.
The Olympic gold medal winner’s comments promptly earned reactions from fans:
“What was he doing”
Popovich and Parker’s basketball journey will be forever entwined. The player first met the coach before he was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs in 2001. “Pop” wanted to see how the diminutive Frenchman would fare against former NBA player Lance Blanks.
“The Parisian Torpedo” had all sorts of trouble against Blanks who only played three seasons in the NBA. “Pop” almost decided he wanted nothing to do with Parker after just 10 minutes of their scrimmage. Fortunately, a “mix tape” of the point guard’s exploits forced Popovich to change his mind.
Gregg Popovich kept Tony Parker on the bench at the start of his NBA career. It became clear that the San Antonio Spurs had a diamond in the rough after only five games. “Pop” gave the reins of the offense to the young point guard but mercilessly went after him to fast-track his learning and skills development.
Looking back, Parker had this to say about his relationship with Popovich:
“Pop meant so much to my life and my career. He was like a second dad. At the end of the day, he threw me in the fire. After five games into the season, he was like ‘You are starting point guard' at 19 years old. And the rest is history.”
A few days ago, Gregg Popovich and Tony Parker were inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Gregg Popovich and Tony Parker helped deliver four championships to the San Antonio Spurs
Gregg Popovich is a five-time NBA champion, all of which were with the San Antonio Spurs. Tony Parker was his point guard during four of those title-winning seasons. They lifted the Larry O’Brien Trophy in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014.
Parker was named the 2007 NBA Finals MVP after averaging a team-high 24.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists in the series. The Frenchman was a big reason the Spurs swept LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the championship round.
Some would say that Tim Duncan should have won the award. “The Big Fundamental” had better all-around numbers. TD finished with 18.3 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 3.8 APG, 2.3 BPG and 1.3 SPG.
Duncan, as humble as ever, insisted that Tony Parker deserved it for the way he carried the Spurs in crucial moments. Gregg Popovich couldn’t care less who got the Bill Russell Trophy. They just wanted to win the championship.
