Spurs coach Gregg Popovich moved by ‘fantastic’ Hall of Fame ceremony – San Antonio Express-News
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich returned to the bench Sunday after attending what he called a “fantastic” induction ceremony for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s star-studded, nine-member Class of 2020.
The event in Uncasville, Conn., included a heartfelt speech by Tim Duncan that ended with the Spurs’ greatest player paying tribute to Popovich by calling him an “exceptional person” and thanking him for “teaching me about basketball, but even beyond that, teaching me that it’s not all about basketball.”
Rudy Tomjanovich, who guided the Houston Rockets to back-to-back NBA titles in the 1990s, also thanked Popovich for his lobbying efforts, along with other coaches, to get him into the Hall of Fame.
Kobe Bryant’s wife Vanessa and WNBA great Tamkia Catchings also earned praise for their moving words.
“Everybody did a great job,” Popovich said before Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Phoenix Suns.
“Of course, we all enjoyed our own the best,” Popovich added, referring to Duncan. “But it was very joyous, everybody in a great mood. I thought the organization of it was great. It was just boom, boom, boom. It was a lot of people, so it took a while. It was really done efficiently and classy, so it was a wonderful night.”
As the NBA’s all-time winningest coach (regular season and playoffs combined) and the owner of five NBA championship rings, Popovich could have entered the Hall of Fame himself long ago. He was asked when he would allow himself to be inducted.
“Not really prepared to answer a question like that because it’s not at the front of my mind,” Popovich said. “I am more focused on the fact that last night was wonderful. When it comes down to me, I don’t think that’s very important.”
In Popovich’s absence Saturday, assistant Mitch Johnson served as acting head coach. The Suns clobbered a short-handed Spurs team 140-103.
“He’s got a really good demeanor, garners a lot of respect from the players, and I really respect his ideas,” Popovich said of Johnson. “It’s another wonderful person on your staff that you learn from and that you work with. He’s a special guy.”
Team gets another into Hall of Fame
The Spurs gained another Hall of Famer when the Class of 2021 was announced Sunday.
Lowell “Cotton” Fitzsimmons is set to be inducted posthumously as a contributor as part of a 16-member class that will be enshrined Sept. 11 in Springfield, Mass.
Fitzsimmons coached the Spurs for two seasons from 1984-86. With an aging roster, the Spurs made the playoffs both seasons, losing in the first round to Denver in 1985 after a 41-41 regular season and losing in the first round to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1986 after going 35-47 in the regular season.
Fitzsimmons, who died in 2004 at age 72 due to complications from lung cancer, won 832 games in 21 seasons as an NBA coach. He coached five teams, most notably the Suns to four consecutive 50-win seasons, and guided his squads to 12 playoff appearances, including three Western Conference finals.
Fitzsimmons will become the 10th player with Spurs ties to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Duncan, David Robinson and George Gervin are the only Spurs’ Hall of Famers who spent more than five seasons with the club.
Among the notable players in the Class of 2021 are Chris Bosh, Paul Pierce, Ben Wallace, Chris Webber, seven-time WNBA All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Yolanda Griffith and seven-time WNBA All-Star and three-time WNBA MVP Lauren Jackson. The coaches include Rick Adelman and Bill Russell, the first Black NBA head coach.
Mills sits out for rest reasons
Spurs sixth man Patty Mills got the day off to rest Sunday.
Mills was the third player to get a day off over the weekend. Starters DeMar DeRozan and Jakob Poeltl sat out Saturday’s game.
Sunday marked Mills’ first day off since April 22.
The rest is an attempt to “get guys ready and get their energy back” in time for Wednesday’s play-in game, Popovich said.
Before Sunday’s game, the Spurs upgraded starting guards Dejounte Murray (back) and Lonnie Walker IV (quad) and reserve forward Rudy Gay (heel) from questionable to available. Murray and Gay sat out Saturday’s game.
Popovich returned to his regular starting five of Murray and Walker in the backcourt and DeRozan, Johnson and Poeltl in the frontcourt.
torsborn@express-news.net
Twitter: @tom_orsborn