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I'm glad he's alive and coherent. Seeing him like that hurts my heart.
No one is going to criticize anything at a presser like that. They can see what we can see...Pop it's in pretty bad physical shape. And honestly, it's not an appropriate time to do it
But all that said it's obvious what's happening here. Pop was forced to give up control because his body simply won't allow him to do his job...a job he is not ready to give up. This is the reason no one was interviewed. Having someone come in and do it their way is something he is not ready for...mostly because he is still dealing with the fact he was forced out. It's easier to give the job to Mitch. Along with his physical problems, he doesn't have to deal with someone who might think differently than him or will go against ideas he might suggest.
It creates uncertainty for the fans and the organization, but Pop doesn't care about that. He is an old man who has loved a thing for a very long time and simply can't let it go. Part of me can sort of understand but it's frustrating nonetheless.
I'm glad he's alive and coherent. Seeing him like that hurts my heart.
What a hard watch. Pop and the big 3 made up my childhood and adolescence. The videos of Pop, Tim and Manu together are very bittersweet.
PS Tony should've flown out tbh wtf
Dat presser was brutal tbh.. I found nice he tried to be humorous with the el jefe… but tough. Also very cool to have Manu and Tim around for him. We can argue about Mitch and pop not letting go and FO is and blabla… but this is also why I love this franchise, there are a family with bunch of issues like all family but I take that over the 17 lakers bling bling les any day of the week
This one has the best audio....
Permission to post again gentlemen
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Really good points and post.
As much as I've been frustrated to by PATFO the last few years, I would take the last ~30 years and the way we went about things (homegrown les, sustained excellence) over the way the Lakers conduct business.
I do wish the current FO held higher standards for on the court performance, but it's a trade off that at the end of the day I'll happily accept.
good point about Mitch and DJM that's true the two also have that historical link going back
Spurs, the best role model on this Earth
Meanwhile, shame on corrupt ins utions and systems.....they make this planet a wicked place
Technically Pop should have retired 2 years ago when we got Wemby. But he was too proud and stubborn to give up coaching. A successor should have been found 2 years ago.. be it Mitch, Manu or whoever..
That was pretty tough and I shed a tear. Glad he still has his classic sense of humor. Pop is a wonderful human being and that was awesome that Manu and Tim were there for him. I am a Spurs and Bulls fan and I used to live in San Antonio and watched the Spurs and Pop growing up. Enjoy your new venture Pop and you are the best NBA head coach ever imo.
Some of it is what you said...but I think a lot of it is also emotion. This is all he has. It is his entire iden y. He is fighting father time and losing and doesn't know how to accept it.
I'm glad Pop is still alive and kicking, but I have to say those official reports from the Spurs about him having a "mild" stroke on November 2nd sure do look disingenuous now. His speech and physical movement having this level of impairment 6 months later points to something that was not mild in the least.
Not true. The fact he can even talk and is generally coherent and able to walk on his own somewhat shows it was indeed mild. If it wasn't he'd have been in a wheelchair, unable to speak and drooling from the side of the mouth like most stroke victims. For only a 6 month period he looks about as well as you could hope for. Still super sad.
Gotta disagree on that. I have a family friend who is in her 80s and had a mild stroke a few months ago... to look at her and listen to her talk, you wouldn't even know that something had happened. Pop is still clearly having speech and movement issues after a team of the best world class rehab and physical therapists worked with him for 6 months. It was not a "mild" stroke.
Contrary to what most feel, I was actually amazed at how well pop is holding up physically so shortly after a stroke, especially given his age. He can walk without assistance, he doesn’t stutter as much as I’d thought. This man is a fighter and I respect that. Amazing man.
I have a friend who had a stroke in her early 50s. It’s five years now and she still need a walker. She still stutters. And she worked hard throughout the last 5 years to recover.
I like the "I coach boys to become men who eventually play basketball", I don't think this is the proper quote but this sums up Pop for me.
Doing so he has been incredibly successful he has developped so many talented players, coaches, staff. He is a man who will let a legacy to the world of sports and beyond. The last years have been tough but there is also some bad luck with Kawhi and at the end he is letting the franchise with a generational talent, healthy finance, tons of picks and flexibility for the future.. one cannot ask for much more than that. Now it's up to Mitch and actual FO to go to work
Wemby wanted Pop as his coach. Are you really that dense to not understand how steeped Wemby is in Spurs history?
Absolutely.
Wemby: Hi RC, I'm so happy you lucked into the first pick. I've dreamt of playing for Pop
RC: Nope lol we're going to push Pop aside and get you a wonderful new coach, like JJ Re or something
Wemby:
ST (the 50 or so posters here) is the only place on the planet where Pop isn't adored. It's an echo chamber.
I kind of feel bad about this as Pop personally thanked him for coming (I thought he was there for both Pop and Mitch), but Dejounte may have mostly been there for his friend Mitch. I only say that because someone else mentioned that Dejounte may not have even known Pop was going to be there and that he was there for Mitch.
I'm pretty sure you're right. I remember reading Victor wanted him to coach him and I think that is why Pop was trying to come back, to honour his word about coaching him.
Feature length ESPN story on Pop today: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...-antonio-spurs
An article in The Ringer too.
https://www.theringer.com/2025/05/02...-career-legacy
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