“I don’t even know half of their names”: Gregg Popovich hilariously talks about the Spurs’ lineup against the Sixers amid San Antonio’s COVID crisis

The COVID-riddled San Antonio Spurs had to play against the Sixers with a lot of players whose names coach Gregg Popovich didn’t even know.

With the league’s new health and safety protocols, a majority of teams in the league have had to play games missing out on several players from their line-up. The San Antonio Spurs are just one of many who are having a rough time in dealing with COVID-19.

With several players out with injuries and in the league’s health and safety protocols, teams around the association are forced to call players up from the G-League or hand out 10-day contracts to fill their roster spots. And that’s exactly what Gregg Popovich and the Spurs had to do for their clash against the Philadelphia 76ers.

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With Tre Jones, Devin Vassell, Derrick White, Keldon Johnson, Thaddeus Young all sidelined or out with injuries or COVID protocols, SAS had to play with a few “unknown” players on their squad.

Gregg Popovich hilariously takes shot at his own San Antonio Spurs’ players amid their COVID crisis

When asked about his starting lineup, Coach Pop was brutally honest in revealing that he didn’t even know the names of half the players on his team. Giving the most classic Pop answer, 72-year-old said:

“I don’t even know half their names.”

#Spurs coach Gregg Popovich on who he is going to start vs #Sixers: ‘I don’t even know half their names.’

— Tom Moore (@TomMoorePhilly) January 7, 2022

Despite Dejounte Murray’s heroics, dropping 27 points, 9 assists, and 5 rebounds, the fully functional Sixers grabbed a 119-100 win. Joel Embiid’s 31-point near triple-double helped Philly win their 6th straight game.

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San Antonio has 3 games scheduled in the next 5 days. It’s about time Gregg learns his players’ names otherwise it’s going to be an extremely awkward 2-game road trip.