It wasn’t something you see every day, but Wednesday night had an incident that involved Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich grabbing the arena mic and instructing fans to stop booing Kawhi Leonard.
Leonard responded to the incident on Thursday in which he didn’t appear to be too shocked.
“They’re probably going to boo me the rest of my career,” Leonard said after the 109-102 LA Clippers win via San Antonio Express-News’ Tom Orsborn. “They’re one of the best fans in the league and very competitive. Once I step on this court, they show that they’re going for the other side. When I’m on the streets or going into restaurants, they show love.”
Here’s what went down on Wednesday.
The booing continued while Leonard was in between free throws when Popovich took the mic.
“Excuse me for a second,” said Popovich. “Stop all the booing and let these guys play. It’s got no class, it’s not who we are. Knock off the booing.”
Wow. #Spurs HC Gregg Popovich just grabbed the arena microphone with Kawhi Leonard at the free throw line, and asked the crowd to stop booing.
Fans have been booing Leonard, who asked to be traded from San Antonio, on every touch.
Not sure I've seen that in an NBA game. pic.twitter.com/PHk3yD2IHG
— Nate Ryan (@nateryansports) November 23, 2023
Naturally, Popovich was asked about it since the clip went viral on social media, and he simply said the fans, “shouldn’t have poked the bear.” He added it’s something that you don’t do in sports.
“I just told you why I did it. I spoke English, I just told you. Anybody that knows anything about sports knows that you do not poke the bear,” he continued. “That’s my answer.”
About Jessica Kleinschmidt
Jess is a baseball fan with Reno, Nev. roots residing in the Bay Area. She is the host of "Short and to the Point" and is also a broadcaster with the Oakland A's Radio Network. She previously worked for MLB.com and NBC Sports Bay Area.