Gregg Popovich Had Witty Response to Huge Wembanyama-Dončić Media Turnout

The San Antonio Spurs coach couldn’t help but notice the media frenzy.

Wednesday marked the official NBA debut of Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama, which came in the form of a nationally televised matchup with Luka Dončić and the Mavericks. Fans and reporters alike flocked to see Wembanyama in his first regular-season game, drawing a media crowd that surprised even San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich.

Popovich joked with reporters ahead of the Wembanyama-Dončić headliner, asking if everyone was there to watch him and Dallas coach Jason Kidd ply their trade.

“Did you all come to watch Jason and I coach?” Popovich asked, per Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News.

To give a better idea of just how crowded the media area was for Wembanyama’s debut, there were more than 200 credentials distributed for the game, according to NBA.com’s Michael C. Wright. From a fan perspective, the Spurs also released a “limited number” of standing-room-only seats for the game, according to a team spokesperson.

Attendance for the game was announced at 18,947, several hundred more than the official capacity of Frost Bank Center, which is listed as 18,354.