Tim Duncan didn't have a retirement tour. Spurs fans knew it was a possibility that he would walk away from the game this summer, but it's still taking time for the reality to sink in.
Duncan played under head coach Gregg Popovich for all 19 seasons he was in the NBA. The two shared a special bond, one that went beyond basketball.
Popovich is working this summer with Team USA basketball. He was asked about Duncan recently and had this honest response.
“There's a big hole in my belly,” Popovich said. “I think about the culture and his humor. I've been used to that for 20 years and now it's gone. I have to find that in some other way, some other power, some other player. I have to do something. But life goes on for all of us.”
Duncan will be missed by everybody in the Spurs family, but maybe none more so than Popovich.
Popovich went on to joke about how he's had to keep making promises to players that he'll still be around to coach them if they sign on for longer contracts. “So I guess I can never stop, I can never retire,” he said.
Spurs fans aren't looking forward to when Popovich calls it quits. They're already dealing with Duncan's departure, which has issued in a new era of Spurs basketball. Fortunately, that new era includes the future of Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge. Life isn't so bad in San Antonio.
[button width=”full” button size=”bigger” color=”custom” align=”center” textcolor=”#ffffff” texthcolor=”#ffffff” bgcolor=”#8b0000″ link=”https://clutchpoints.com/coach-popovich-isnt-upset-spurs-never-called-super-team/”]NEXT: Coach Popovich isn’t upset that the Spurs have never been called a ‘Super Team’[/button]
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