The NBA has become an international game, so much so that almost all of the very best players in the league hail from outside the United States. Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic are the top examples, but even further down most rosters, foreign talent is still evident.
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That wasn’t always the case, but the San Antonio Spurs and Gregg Popovich were at the forefront of turning the league into a true melting pot. Under Pop, the Spurs were the league’s model franchise, and with players like Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Boris Diaw leading the way, they did it with an international flair.
Davis Bertans played professionally in Europe before making his NBA debut with the Spurs in 2016. The Latvian stretch 4 wasn’t with San Antonio for any of the team’s five titles, but as he told the Euro Insiders podcast recently, Pop didn’t treat him any differently than if he was the Spurs’ best player in franchise history.
“He didn’t care,” Bertans said of Pop. “If you messed up in a game and there’s film like you messed up, it doesn’t matter if your last name is Duncan or Bertans. He gave it to everybody the same, and I think that’s what made the players respect him so much.”
There’s a bit of the age old question of what came first, the chicken or the egg when it comes to the way Popovich and Tim Duncan were able to set such a high standard for greatness without ego ever getting in the way. Was it due to Duncan being the game’s most humble and soft-spoken superstar, or did Pop’s egalitarian way of handling his roster carry more weight?
Like many great coach and star player pairings in sports over the years, such as Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes, Bruce Bochy and Buster Posey, and Steve Kerr and Steph Curry, Pop and Duncan always put the needs of the team over the needs of the individual, and both reached the height of NBA glory because of it.
Legendary UNC coach Dean Smith was famous for saying, “It’s amazing what can be accomplished when nobody cares who gets the credit.” The saying predates him and was used by President Harry Truman, but Smith put it into action by encouraging every Tar Heel to “thank the passer” by pointing to whoever gave him the assist after a made basket.
Popovich once took a sabbatical from coaching in his late 20s to spend a year with Smith in Chapel Hill, a time he reflected on during his Hall of Fame induction ceremony. So it’s no surprise that he shared so many similar philosophies with his players.
Bertans spoke about how Pop would reward players for staying ready, even if they didn’t expect to get playing time. That was how players could earn his respect. “He would just throw me out sometimes,” Bertans said.
One of those times occurred after he hadn’t played for about two weeks, and then Pop gave him a trial by fire against a stacked OKC Thunder team that still had Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden. “I go out there and I made three 3s in a row, and it kind of helped to get going,” Bertans remembered. “Those were just his kind of tests for the players, just to see if you’re ready.”
Bertans played for Popovich for three seasons before moving on to the Wizards, Mavs, Thunder and Hornets. He now plays professionally in Dubai, and he’s set to represent his native Latvia in the EuroBasket tournament that begins later this week.
