After not having many words to react to the death of Gregg Popovich's wife, Erin — caught off guard after a Wednesday practice, Kevin Durant mourned the loss of the San Antonio Spurs legend, emphasizing the collective support the NBA as a family will provide for him during this trying time.
“I want Pop to know that the whole NBA family is supporting him and got his back through it all,” Durant said, according to Mark Medina of the San Jose Mercury News. “It’s bigger than the game. It’s bigger than winning and losing. It’s about the brotherhood we’ve built with the NBA family. I feel so bad for Pop and his family. That is tough to hear.”
Head coach Steve Kerr and assistant Mike Brown both have deep ties to Popovich, one as a player, and the other as an assistant. Both of them respectfully declined to comment in this painful matter, mourning the loss just as much.
“Prayers go out to his family,” Durant said. “Man, that’s tough. This game is a beautiful game and it brings people together. You build friendships from playing the game. You have so much support from so many people that you would never cross paths with if it weren’t for basketball.”
Popovich is one of the most respected, and the longest-tenured head coach in the NBA — and while he rarely spoke of his personal life his wife is survived as a “strong, wonderful, kind, intelligent woman who provided love, support and humor to all of us,” according to Spurs general manager R.C. Buford.
It's still unclear if Popovich will coach in Game 3 tonight, due to the sudden nature of Erin's passing.
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