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The new era of San Antonio Spurs basketball is here as the franchise has a franchise cornerstone to build around in Victor Wembanyama.
The Spurs have been toiling near the bottom of the Western Conference Standings for years now, but after selecting Wembanyama No. 1 overall in the 2023 NBA Draft the team has a clear direction now.
Spearheading San Antonio’s rebuild will be Gregg Popovich who could feasibly coach longer than expected now that he has another potential superstar on his hands.
Popovich has been fortunate enough to coach some of the NBA’s greatest players, though he will be remembered most for the Spurs teams that dominated the 2000s.
Those rosters featured Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili who went on to four championships together.
However, things weren’t always easy behind the scenes as Parker opened up about what it was like to be coached by Popovich via Legion Hoops.
“Gregg Popovich was really hard on me,” Parker said. “He cursed a lot and said other crazy things. During my rookie season, I sometimes had tears in my eyes in the shower after practice. It sometimes bordered on abuse with me… There’s no denying it.”
Tony Parker:
“Gregg Popovich was really hard on me. He cursed a lot and said other crazy things. During my rookie season, I sometimes had tears in my eyes in the shower after practice. It sometimes bordered on abuse with me… There’s no denying it.” pic.twitter.com/KDL56pVZ52
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) September 16, 2023
It’s shocking to hear Parker’s comments about Popovich and what it was like for him during his rookie season, though the latter did have a reputation as a demanding coach.
The old-school NBA was a lot different from today’s game where players are seemingly coddled a lot more both on and off the floor.
Popovich sounds like he subscribed to the belief of tough love when coaching a young Parker, though it’s hard to argue with the results as the point guard went on to become a multi-time All-Star in the league.
Excellence at the next level requires hard coaching sometimes and Popovich has a proven tracking record of getting the best out of his players.
The post Tony Parker Shares Details About Gregg Popovich’s Coaching Style appeared first on The Cold Wire.
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