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ScriptOhio
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
FWIW, an interesting Greg Popovich (i.e. one of the all time great NBA coaches) story:
www.espn.com
Everything about the city and the San Antonio Spurs feels like it's growing -- bursting with new energy and residents who've come here to fill in all the wide-open space that used to define this part of Texas.
Even before the Spurs drafted Victor Wembanyama, No. 1 overall in 2023, that energy was inspiring to coach Gregg Popovich. "What's most enjoyable is they are like young, clean slates. You start at the bottom and teach," he said in 2022, after years of leading a veteran-laden team.
Johnson, who at 25 is somehow the Spurs' longest-tenured player, has learned to follow Popovich's lead. Which is why they both arrived at the arena so early on the afternoon of Nov. 2, 2024.
Johnson was there to get extra work and treatment before a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Popovich, then at age 75, was there to go through the pregame workout routine that had become essential as he made his way through the grind of an NBA season.
But shortly after stepping away from his workout next to the team's locker room, deep inside the warren of white, silver and black hallways at the arena, Popovich stopped in his tracks. Team staffers who were around while he was lifting weights knew something was off and grabbed him, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.
They immediately sat Popovich down.
Nearby, Johnson heard the commotion as the coach began receiving medical attention.
"I couldn't see him," Johnson told ESPN. "But to see how everybody was talking about it was scary."
Johnson tried to get closer, but Popovich was already being attended to by team staffers who would eventually lead him to an ambulance out of the arena to a nearby hospital. Only a few players, staffers and arena employees had any sense of what had happened.
"Nobody really wanted to say anything," Johnson said. "Nobody wanted to let us in and tell us what was really going on. The unknown was really tough."
At around 5:15 p.m., reporters gathered in the interview room for Popovich's pregame news conference. Although he is normally punctual, it wasn't completely out of the ordinary for Popovich to be late or miss one of these availabilities. One time last season, he got caught in traffic on his way from the team's new practice facility, The Rock at La Cantera.
Other times, he has missed games for minor medical procedures or personal reasons. The assistant coach who had run the scouting on the night's opponent was usually appointed to fill in.
So it didn't raise any eyebrows when Spurs longtime spokesman Tom James came into the room around 5:30 to announce that Popovich was "under the weather" and assistant coach Mitch Johnson would lead the team that night.
Behind the scenes, though, word had begun to spread among the team that what had happened to Popovich -- the rock upon which one of the NBA's most successful franchises has been built -- was serious and perhaps life-threatening.
It would take time for doctors to determine the extent of the damage Popovich suffered after what was deemed a mild stroke. Players weren't able to talk to him for weeks. It was several months before he was strong enough to walk and then stand in front of the team and speak directly to them.
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'It's Pop's decision. He's earned that': Inside Gregg Popovich's fight to return to the sideline
For the first time in 30 years, the legendary coach has been on a different sideline, battling to return to what he once was. This is the story of his season -- and what might come next for the proud franchise he leads.
'It's Pop's decision. He's earned that': Inside Gregg Popovich's fight to return to the sideline
THE DRIVE FROM Keldon Johnson's ranch in Boerne, Texas, to the Frost Bank Center used to be predictable. Thirty minutes on the weekends, 45 during the week. But these days he has to leave early to account for the construction on seemingly every major highway in the area.Everything about the city and the San Antonio Spurs feels like it's growing -- bursting with new energy and residents who've come here to fill in all the wide-open space that used to define this part of Texas.
Even before the Spurs drafted Victor Wembanyama, No. 1 overall in 2023, that energy was inspiring to coach Gregg Popovich. "What's most enjoyable is they are like young, clean slates. You start at the bottom and teach," he said in 2022, after years of leading a veteran-laden team.
Johnson, who at 25 is somehow the Spurs' longest-tenured player, has learned to follow Popovich's lead. Which is why they both arrived at the arena so early on the afternoon of Nov. 2, 2024.
Johnson was there to get extra work and treatment before a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Popovich, then at age 75, was there to go through the pregame workout routine that had become essential as he made his way through the grind of an NBA season.
But shortly after stepping away from his workout next to the team's locker room, deep inside the warren of white, silver and black hallways at the arena, Popovich stopped in his tracks. Team staffers who were around while he was lifting weights knew something was off and grabbed him, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.
They immediately sat Popovich down.
Nearby, Johnson heard the commotion as the coach began receiving medical attention.
"I couldn't see him," Johnson told ESPN. "But to see how everybody was talking about it was scary."
Johnson tried to get closer, but Popovich was already being attended to by team staffers who would eventually lead him to an ambulance out of the arena to a nearby hospital. Only a few players, staffers and arena employees had any sense of what had happened.
"Nobody really wanted to say anything," Johnson said. "Nobody wanted to let us in and tell us what was really going on. The unknown was really tough."
At around 5:15 p.m., reporters gathered in the interview room for Popovich's pregame news conference. Although he is normally punctual, it wasn't completely out of the ordinary for Popovich to be late or miss one of these availabilities. One time last season, he got caught in traffic on his way from the team's new practice facility, The Rock at La Cantera.
Other times, he has missed games for minor medical procedures or personal reasons. The assistant coach who had run the scouting on the night's opponent was usually appointed to fill in.
So it didn't raise any eyebrows when Spurs longtime spokesman Tom James came into the room around 5:30 to announce that Popovich was "under the weather" and assistant coach Mitch Johnson would lead the team that night.
Behind the scenes, though, word had begun to spread among the team that what had happened to Popovich -- the rock upon which one of the NBA's most successful franchises has been built -- was serious and perhaps life-threatening.
It would take time for doctors to determine the extent of the damage Popovich suffered after what was deemed a mild stroke. Players weren't able to talk to him for weeks. It was several months before he was strong enough to walk and then stand in front of the team and speak directly to them.
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continued
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