Inside The Spurs

'Don't Poke the Bear?!' San Antonio Spurs' Gregg Popovich Explains Odd Kawhi Leonard Mic Steal

San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich urged fans to stop booing Kawhi Leonard in the middle of a game, but why did he do that?

Jeremy Brener

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The San Antonio Spurs lost their 10th game in a row last night against the Los Angeles Clippers, but the headlines were dominated by a random moment in the middle of the game.

Former Spurs All-Star Kawhi Leonard, disliked by San Antonio fans for his public and ugly exit out of the city five years ago, was booed by the crowd nearly every time he touched the ball in his return to the Frost Bank Center. That didn't sit well with coach Gregg Popovich, one of Kawhi's staunch defenders, to the point where he did something likely never-before-seen in the middle of an NBA game.

"Excuse me for a second. Can we stop all the booing and let these guys play?" Popovich said. "It's got no class and it's not who we are. Knock off the booing."

The fans only responded with more booing of Leonard to end the second quarter. The Clippers headed into the locker room with a 54-48 halftime lead.

But after the game, Popovich provided a different explanation than "it's not who we are."

"Anybody that knows anything about sports knows you don't poke the bear," Popovich said postgame.

San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard
San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard / © Daniel Dunn, USA TODAY

Leonard scored a game-high 26 points in the Clippers' win, but why did Popovich say what he said?

Was it really because he felt bad for Kawhi facing the (very fair) disdain from Spurs fans? Or was it because he didn't want the other team's best player to have even more motivation?

Either way, fans were divided in how they felt about Popovich's words and actions.

In a poll from KENS5 sports anchor Nate Ryan, fans were split on their thoughts, with roughly two-thirds disagreeing with the Spurs coach.

Popovich is a Hall-of-Fame coach, the winningest in NBA history, so he's earned a right to do what he wants to an extent. However, that doesn't mean everything he does and says is the right thing.

Kawhi Leonard, Paul George Too Much for Spurs in Loss to Clippers

Whether or not he was right or wrong for what he did doesn't matter much anymore, especially because it's in the past and there can't be any changes. But I think it's safe to say the bear was poked on Wednesday night, except the bear wasn't Kawhi ... it was Coach Pop.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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