San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich has nothing but respect and admiration for Chicago Bulls star DeMar DeRozan, who is heading back to the All-Star game for the first time since 2018.

Ahead of the Spurs' showdown with the Bulls on Friday, Popovich opened up about his true thoughts regarding DeRozan. While Pop has no personal relationship with the veteran swingman prior to their stint together, the three years they shared allow the legendary coach to have a deeper understanding of him.

“I didn’t know him personally at all,” Popovich said in reference to the time before San Antonio traded Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors that landed them DeRozan, per NBC Sports. “And I found him to be one of my favorite guys of all time. He’s superhuman in every way, shape and form.”

When asked what makes DeMar DeRozan such a “superhuman” being, Gregg Popovich highlighted how his personality and outlook in life made them click instantly.

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“He’s just one of those guys. You feel comfortable with him,” the Spurs boss added. “You can talk to him about lots of stuff. Life things, in addition to basketball things. Just enjoyed being around him, giving opinions about what’s going on in the world, that sort of thing. Just hit it off.”

Clearly, Popovich has great memories with DeRozan. And while they are no longer together–with DeRozan moving on with the Bulls in the offseason–the respect they have for each other remains.

The Spurs coach is probably one of the happiest after DeRozan was voted as an All-Star starter for the Eastern Conference. The Bulls combo guard has been phenomenal and clutch for Chicago throughout the season, so it was a well-deserved recognition.

Hopefully, Coach Pop will be in Cleveland to watch the humble superstar play in his fifth All-Star game.