San Antonio Spurs coach and president Gregg Popovich got honest about his true feelings when he first met his former player Tony Parker, who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame alongside Coach Pop on Saturday.
In contrast to Parker who spoke Friday of Coach Pop being a ‘dad' figure to him, Popovich was blunt that he did not like Parker when they first met during a pre-draft workout. “I hated him,” Popovich said. “I said I don't want him. He's a weenie. He's unaggressive. He doesn't like contact, he's 19, and I don't want to see him,” per ESPN's Tim Bontemps.
Parker's agent begged Gregg Popovich to give him another chance, and Pop reluctantly agreed. The second workout paid off and after 17 years and four NBA titles together, Popovich and Parker enter the Hall of Fame together. Parker will present Popovich along with fellow Spurs Hall of Famers David Robinson, Manu Ginobili, and Tim Duncan.
Popovich has been adamant that the four Hall of Fame caliber players he coached should be inducted into the Hall of Fame before him. In honor of this wish, the hall is inducing Parker prior to Coach Pop.
Tony Parker spoke on the specialness of the occasion which will finally land the best Spurs in the Hoops Hall. “It's pretty special,” Parker said via Tim Bontemps. “It started two years ago. I went to Timmy's, and Timmy gave me the honor to put the jacket on him the night before. So that was pretty cool. And then Manu last year was a lot of fun to see Manu getting in the Hall. Well deserved. And to finish it off, this year for a third year in a row, coming here and doing it with Pop … it just shows that we had a special group, and that we would just build different.”
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