At 75 years old, Gregg Popovich is certainly at an age in which he could be Victor Wembanyama's grandfather. Heck, there's a world in which the Hall of Fame coach is old enough to be a freshly-turned 20-year-old's great grandfather.
One thing's for sure. The San Antonio Spurs' legendary coach is already making a mark–and vice versa–on a young man who could eventually become one of the greatest players we've ever seen.
Victor Wembanyama, Gregg Popovich express admiration for each other
Especially considering he grew up rooting for the Spurs, the French phenom was somewhat acquainted with Popovich.
“Even before knowing him, I had heard, of course, a lot about him,” Wembanyama said of Coach Pop.
In a different contest, his Hall of Fame coach can say the same. Wemby was widely the consensus top choice leading up to the 2023 NBA Draft. He's left quite an impression on the leader of the team that won last summer's lottery.
“He's a very, when I say, intelligent, I should probably say more so emotional intelligence for a 20 year-old who was 20 three weeks ago. His maturity level, understanding of what it's going to take, all the hype that's surrounding him, how he's going to handle it. When I'm going to critique him about doing certain things, how does he handle those things, how does he work with his teammates. All that is a plus,” Popovich continued.
“If the leader in your program as far as the future goes has those attributes, you're in pretty good shape.”
The same sentiments apply for Wembanyama.
“He's been everything I expected as a mentor and as an honest person,” the generational prospect reveals about the longest tenured coach in the NBA. “Sometimes I think the only people he really, really loves are his players. He keeps everything for his guys. He might be tough sometimes but there's never a doubt that it's not for out best. I'm very grateful for this.”
Grateful also describes how Popovich views Wembanyama.
“We've taken the tact to go slowly and not skip steps. Try to tell him exactly what he needs to do. When we see something that needs to be improved upon, we'll talk about that but we, so far, have basically let him play so we can learn where his most advantageous spots are on the floor, where he feels comfortable, where he can work,” Pop said.
In an effort to not confine his 7-foot-4 marvel who can shoot, dribble and run the court, Gregg Popovich has leaned on lessons involving another man with whom he shares a close relationship. Like he did with fellow Hall-of-Famer Manu Ginobili, the winningest coach in NBA history doesn't want to inhibit his new superstar's abilities.
“To not take that away. I learned that from Manu. When Manu first came in I tried to actually be a coach and act like I knew something. It kind of put him back a bit because he's Manu and he does what he does. And sometimes, some players; you've got to let them do that.” Popovich admitted.
“I want to do that with Victor and then we'll make adjustments as we move along.”
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