During his NBA playing days, Shaquille O’Neal frequently found himself playing on teams opposing Gregg Popovich’s San Antonio Spurs late in the NBA Playoffs. Before Saturday night’s Game 7 between the Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets, O’Neal shared a story about something Popovich did for his family well before Shaq ever played in the NBA.
Tributes to Popovich have been frequent since the announcement that he’ll be retiring from coaching. The Inside the NBA crew added their voices to that on Saturday. And while O’Neal praised Popovich as a coach, he also told a more personal story.
“I love the man for a different reason,” O’Neal said. “Growing up in San Antonio, mom and dad didn’t have a lot of money for shoes. A pair of my shoes was raggedy, and somebody told my father that somebody on the Spurs wore size 22. I think it was Chuck Nevitt. So my father reached out to the Spurs. You know, Pop being military, him being military, they hit it off. Pop gave us a couple of pair of shoes. Never wanted anything. So I’ve always had admiration and respect for him.”
The TNT ‘Inside the NBA’ crew pays tribute to Gregg Popovich after his decision to step down from coaching. 🏀🎙️ #NBA pic.twitter.com/73hm85rLAF
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O’Neal continued.
“Legendary career,” he said. “But just a better man. I’m sad we’re not gonna be seeing him on the court. Pop, thank you, brother. Appreciate you very much.”
