After an irate Gregg Popovich berated Spurs fans for booing Kawhi Leonard, his anger continued after the game when reporters asked him about the incident.
Popovich went to unusual lengths Wednesday night to shield his former player from crowd booing as he grabbed the arena microphone and urged Spurs fans to stop booing him.
Leonard, who started his career in San Antonio and won the 2014 Finals MVP with the team, was shooting free throws in the second quarter when fans at the Frost Bank Center began booing him.
Annoyed by what he saw, Popovich decided to take matters into his own hands.
“Excuse me for a moment,” he said while Leonard was on the phone.
Gregg Popovich told Spurs fans to stop booing Kawhi Leonard for ‘poking the bear’
Leonard spent the first seven years of his career in San Antonio and rose to stardom
“Can we stop all the cheering and let these guys play? It has no class, it’s not who we are. Stop booing.’
Despite his best effort, the Spurs fans continued to boo Leonard throughout the game.
Perhaps that’s why Popovich was particularly irate when asked for his thoughts on the incident after the buzzer.
After numerous attempts to avoid the subject, he finally replied bluntly, “You’re not poking the bear.”
“I just told you why I did it. I spoke English. I just told you.
‘Anyone who knows anything about sports knows that you don’t poke the bear. That’s my answer.’
Popovich grabbed the microphone and told the Spurs fans to stop booing as Leonard shot free throws
Leonard spent the first seven years of his career in San Antonio and rose to stardom there.
However, things ended on a sour note when he ultimately demanded a trade, which was granted when he was dealt to the Raptors in 2018.
He won the second championship of his career with Toronto in his only season there.
On Wednesday, his Clippers defeated the Spurs 109-102.
He finished the game with 26 points, four rebounds and four assists.
Spurs rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama scored 22 points and 15 boards.