Gregg Popovich met with reporters at the San Antonio Spurs' practice facility on Tuesday to officially bid farewell to Spurs legend Tim Duncan. In true Spurs and Duncan fashion, the legend himself did not show up for his own news conference; instead, his only professional coach of 19 seasons met with the media wearing a simple black shirt with Duncan's picture decorated in the front.
The typically surly Popovich was calm and at times appeared to choke up. He spoke for approximately 15 minutes with reporters with no other desire than to appreciate, remember and honor Duncan, whom he called one of the best ever to play basketball as well as the best teammate any Spurs player could have ever had. The duo has more combined wins than any other player-coach partnership in NBA history.
Popovich called Duncan the most real and true person he has ever met. He said that if given the choice to have dinner with any one person he could ever choose, he would choose Duncan over the likes of William F. Buckley and Gore Vidal, among others. He spoke about Duncan's humility and how it helped established the Spurs culture and excellence, calling the superstar "irreplaceable."
Looking towards the future for the Spurs, Popovich, who is under contract until the 2018-19 season, said that it is mindboggling to think of a season without Duncan. "I would not be standing here if it wasn't for Tim Duncan," Popovich stated in the full interview transcript by ESPN. "He's why I'm standing," he added.
Popovich touched on other topics during his media session, most notably the question of how the Spurs will move forward from this point on. A move the team made recently was to waive their retiring legend, thereby ensuring that he will receive his $6.4 million guaranteed in his contract. This move also helped the Spurs have more room in their salary cap in order to sign some free agents.
The legendary coach noted that other players will have to step up leadership-wise to replace Duncan. Even though his numbers have fallen off in recent years, Duncan was still an elite defender even at age 40, so Popovich also stated that they have to figure that out.
For current TV analyst and former head coach Jeff Van Gundy, the Spurs' transition will be seamless, as he said in an ABC News report. "I think who it's going to be hard on is Gregg Popovich."
Take a look at Coach Pop's media session below.