Spurs coach Gregg Popovich on Tim Duncan retirement

San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich gave his thoughts about Tim Duncan’s career following his player’s retirement announcement.

On Tuesday, Gregg Popovich talked about Tim Duncan’s retirement, a day after the All-Star and four-time champion announced his retirement from the NBA. Popovich coached Duncan in San Antonio for the duration of his career there and spoke to the media while wearing a t-shirt depicting the 6-foot-11 forward. He would have to plenty to say with regards to his longtime player and friend, all of it good.

“Irreplaceable,” was just one of the words Popovich used to describe his former star player, according to News 4 San Antonio. That’s certainly true as Duncan blossomed into one of the game’s best of all time. Over the course of a career that spanned nearly two decades, he achieved two MVP awards, 10 All-NBA First team appearances, 15 All-Star game appearances and five NBA titles. Duncan put up career numbers of 19 points, 10.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game.

While those numbers and accolades will define the career of one of the all-time greats in the NBA, Popovich was amongst the people who got a close-up look at Tim Duncan the person. He noted during his press conference that Duncan was over all those accolades upon his entrance into the league. The Spurs coach also spoke fondly of how much Duncan enjoyed spending time with his kids before the games.

Popovich would also go on to say that the man he molded and mentored over 19 seasons was the one he would most want to have over for dinner while others might tend to select the company of historic or major figures such as Mother Theresa or the Dalai Lama. That speaks volumes about Duncan’s nature and just how well he got along with his longtime coach. It’s clear that Popovich developed an extremely close bond with his biggest star as their careers intersected to help deliver multiple trophies to the San Antonio franchise.

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