Udoka played for the Spurs from 2007 to '09, then was an assistant under Popovich from 2012 through '19. He told The Athletic's Sam Amick the story of Popovich's reaction when he

Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka shared Gregg Popovich's reaction when he earned his first head coaching job for the Boston Celtics in 2021.

Udoka spent nearly a decade as an assistant coach in the NBA, starting his journey with Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs in 2012. He played under Popovich for the Spurs from 2007 to 2009 and later during the 2010-11 season and managed to make quite an impression in that time.

Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard had high praise for Gregg Popovich after the San Antonio Spurs head coach stepped down this week. Following Saturday's season-ending 120-101 loss to the Denver Nuggets, Leonard said his former coach "had a phenomenal career."

Kawhi Leonard is a man of few words, rarely one to open up publicly about emotions or relationships. But when news broke of Gregg Popovich’s retirement after nearly three decades of coaching, even Leonard couldn’t hide the impact the legendary San Antonio Spurs coach had on his life and career.

The Indiana Pacers selected Leonard with the 15th pick of the 2011 NBA Draft and then traded him to the San Antonio Spurs later that night. The Spurs and their then-head coach Gregg Popovich had seen something special in Leonard that others seemingly hadn't, and they certainly were on the money.

Gregg Popovich has stepped down as coach of the San Antonio Spurs, ending a three-decade run that saw him lead the team to five NBA championships, become the league’s all-time wins leader and earn induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Gregg Popovich is stepping away from coaching, and the NBA world shared its thoughts about the legendary head coach.

Gregg Popovich didn’t care. “He wore them to the first game we played them,” Draymond Green said Friday after the longtime San Antonio Spurs coach announced his retirement. Asked about Popovich following the Warriors’ Game 6 loss to the Rockets,

Popovich won those five championships spread out over 15 years by helping create one of the most remarkable, if quiet, cultures of excellence in sports. If Pat Riley had the Heat Way (flashy, talked about, and well-celebrated) in Miami, the Pop Way was the opposite in San Antonio.