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Happy birthday, Pop

The great one turns 73 today

Memphis Grizzlies v San Antonio Spurs Photos by Chris Elise/NBAE via Getty Images

He may be older than the two oldest Spurs combined (Thaddeus Young and Doug McDermott). He may be older than the three youngest members of the Silver & Black (Tre Jones, Devin Vassell, and Josh Primo — all born this millennia), but the breadth of basketball knowledge contained in Gregg Popovich’s pinky finger far surpasses any ten players currently in the NBA.

A list of accolades seems redundant for anyone who reads Pounding the Rock with regularity.

You can love him or hate him. Whether you agree with his politics or are a card-carrying member of “shut up and coach” club. And I know some of us were unsure whether we would see him on the sideline after Tokyo...it all boils down to this- the San Antonio Spurs would not be the San Antonio Spurs without him. The culture of the team, the relationships, the championships, the team-first mentality, his treatment of players, development of coaches, even the city would not be the same without him. And for that, we should all be grateful.

Happy birthday, Pop. We love you.

What’s your favorite “Pop” moment, on or off the court?


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