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What makes Gregg Popovich a great coach is that not only does he know exactly when and what play to execute, but he also has an excellent understanding of life itself. His life does not revolve around basketball alone. He is completely aware of the social issues at hand and is not afraid to address them, even if people disagree with his views.
Per Tom Osborne of the San Antonio Express-News, Pop enjoys debate and any form of discussion. For him, debating with someone with a view opposite his is a noteworthy discussion and might even provide a solution to a problem:
Pop said he enjoys having civil conversations with those who disagree with him, "That’s got to be the answer. We can’t be in our separate worlds and tribal and live in our own little bubble, and everyone else who doesn’t agree with us is a bad person and needs to be ignored."
— Tom Orsborn (@tom_orsborn) March 27, 2018
In addition, he also shared that he has received letters from both his admirers and haters:
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Pop on if he's felt backlash in San Antonio for voicing his political views: "Are you kidding?"…(The letters) range from everything to 'You are the most wonderful person in the world,' to 'Please leave and go live somewhere else, I’m coming after your family.' "
— Tom Orsborn (@tom_orsborn) March 27, 2018
It seems that his wisdom on the basketball court permeates outside. He knows for a fact that basketball just forms a small part of the society he is living in. More than educating his players about how to properly execute plays, he is more intent on educating them about life. Per Candace Buckner and Cindy Boren of The Washington Post, Gregg Popovich believes that it is important for players to be exposed outside the court:
“We try to do things outside of basketball and just expose players to real life because this is just entertainment,” Popovich said, in explaining the visit. “I think it’s important for them to be exposed to what’s going on in a variety of different ways, that’s why we take trips like that or have people come in and speak to us. Stuff like that.”
