After a furious Gregg Popovich berated Spurs fans for booing Kawhi Leonard, his fury continued postgame when he was asked about the incident by reporters.
Popovich went to unusual lengths on Wednesday night to shield his former player from jeers by the crowd, as he grabbed the arena microphone and urged Spurs fans to stop booing him.
Leonard, who began 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 jeering him.
Annoyed by what he was witnessing, Popovich decided to take matters into his own hands.
‘Excuse me for a second,’ he said with Leonard at the line.
Gregg Popovich told Spurs fans to stop booing Kawhi Leonard because they were ‘poking the bear’
Leonard spent the first seven years of his career in San Antonio and blossomed into a superstar
‘Can we stop all the booing and let these guys play? It’s got no class, it’s not who we are. Knock off the booing.’
Despite his best attempt, Spurs fans continued to boo Leonard throughout the game.
Maybe that’s why Popovich was particularly livid when he was asked for his thoughts on the incident after the buzzer.
After numerous attempts to avoid the topic, he eventually bluntly responded: ‘You don’t poke the bear.
‘I just told you why I did it. I spoke English. I just told you.
‘Anybody that knows anything about sports know that you don’t poke the bear. That’s my answer.’
Popovich grabbed the mic and told Spurs fans to stop booing as Leonard shot free throws
Leonard spent the first seven years of his career in San Antonio and blossomed into a superstar there.
However, things ended on a sour note as he eventually 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 lone season there.
On Wednesday, his Clippers beat the Spurs 109-102.
He finished the game with 26 points, four rebounds and four assists.
Spurs rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama tallied 22 points and 15 boards.
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