Understandably, Gregg Popovich was not present in Game 3 against the Golden State Warriors after the death of his wife, Erin. It was expected that some sort of tribute or even just a moment of silence will be held for his wife. Yet as it turned out, there was none.
As Michael C. Wright of ESPN reported, Pop requested for this:
No moment of silence, no special memorial video or anything. Pop did not want this game in any way to be about him. He wanted the team's total focus to be on the game and this series.
— Michael C. Wright (@mikecwright) April 20, 2018
Erin Popovich died yesterday for undisclosed reasons. She and Pop had been married for 42 years. The sad news was related by the Spurs organization via a press statement which read:
With deep regret the San Antonio Spurs announce that Erin Popovich, wife of Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich, passed away earlier Wednesday. Erin and Gregg were married for four decades and were blessed with two children and two grandchildren.
“We mourn the loss of Erin,” said Spurs General Manager RC Buford. “She was a strong, wonderful, kind, intelligent woman who provided love, support and humor to all of us.”
The organization asks media to respect the family’s privacy during this difficult time.
Several players, both current and retired, expressed their condolences for Pop. LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Allen Iverson are just some of them.
Steve Kerr, head coach of the Golden State Warriors commented on the sad news prior to Game 3, telling the media that she's part of the family:
“It was devastating news,” said Kerr. “Erin had been courageously fighting a battle with some health issues for the last few years, but this was shocking. It was unexpected.”
“Our whole organization, our players, our coaches. We’re all thinking about Erin, Pop, Micky, and Jill… It’s just sad, it’s sad for all of us, and not a lot that you can say other than offer your condolences and support.”
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