San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as he gets set to begin another year of coaching in the NBA.
The legendary coach has won five NBA championships and has a list of accolades attached to his career. As Popovich was being inducted into the Hall of Fame this past weekend, he paid tribute to the legendary Dean Smith.
Popovich told a story on how he spent a year on sabbatical during his 20’s, spending time with Dean Smith at North Carolina and Larry Brown at Kansas. He revealed that it was Smith who taught him to be a diligent leader and invest in your players on and off the court:
One year Gregg Popovich took a sabbatical and he spent time at North Carolina shadowing Dean Smith. He said Smith is who influenced him to become a diligent leader and investing in your players on and off the court #UNC @wral pic.twitter.com/DIMxAUauu6
— Kacy Hintz (@KacyHintz) August 13, 2023
It’s cool to hear stories like this about Smith influencing coaches that are still in the game to this day.
Popovich will enter another season as head coach of the Spurs this year, doing so with No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama.
Follow us @TarHeelsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.