Gregg Popovich is well-known for cursing out his players when necessary. However, Lou Williams recently revealed that non-San Antonio Spurs players were also subjected to this not-so-flowery language. The three-time Sixth Man of the Year justified himself by giving an example involving Danny Green.
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Williams often used pump fakes while playing. During an appearance on the Underground Lounge podcast, he revealed that the Spurs’ scouting report mentioned that players were not supposed to fall prey to these fakes. Danny Green failed to stick to the gameplan. He took Williams’ pump-fake bait and fouled on the very first play of the game.
An enraged Coach Pop benched his shooting guard for the remainder of the quarter. Additionally, the Spurs head coach also expressed his frustration by abusing Williams.
“We came down to court, Pop said ‘that’s f**ked up, that’s f**ked up’ and we just we bust out laughing,” Lou recollected.
Of course, Pop didn’t have any bad intentions when cussing his opposing player. Using such language is part of his personality that the NBA community has been accustomed to. The winningest coach in the league’s history also uses coarse language to nag his own players. As surprising as it may sound, it helps improve relationships with his players.
The bond that Coach Pop forms with his players also plays a huge role in the team’s success. Being candid with players such as Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker resulted in multiple championships. But more importantly, it led to great off-court chemistry as well.
During his Hall of Fame speech, Coach Pop hilariously also explained the reason behind the constant cursing. However, he claims to be “soft” now.
“I don’t want to curse. I know it’s ignorant, but you got to be who you are… If I coached him (Parker) now the way I did then, I would be in handcuffs seriously. I would be behind bars. But, I have mellowed he tells me. I’m soft now,” Popovich said.
Yes, Pop did get away with some harsh coaching strategies in the previous years. However, due to the impact of social media and cameras constantly surrounding him, it is a lot more difficult for him to behave the same way he did 20 years ago. Nevertheless, he’s still a fantastic coach. It will certainly be interesting to see how he handles Victor Wembanyama and if he can nurture him into a generational superstar without age old tactics while bringing the Spurs back to their glory days.
