Pop culture: Spurs lean on legends as Finals near
Key takeaways
- "I saw Pop right away when we landed," Wembanyama said.
- It's a point that Popovich, 77, likely touched on at San Antonio International Airport during his conversation with Wembanyama, which the Frenchman prefers to keep private.
- But veteran guard De'Aaron Fox pointed out that Popovich isn't the only Hall of Fame resource walking around the building every day as a valued source of knowledge and expertise on the championship stage.
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
SAN ANTONIO -- The Spurs are preparing for their first berth in the NBA Finals without legendary coach Gregg Popovich, but that doesn't mean the team isn't continuing to lean on the Hall of Famer as a championship resource.
Superstar Victor Wembanyama made it a point to seek out Popovich when the team landed back in San Antonio on Saturday after its emotional Game 7 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder that sent the Spurs back to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014.
"I saw Pop right away when we landed," Wembanyama said. "The emotion was something I haven't felt in a while, I don't even know since when. Coming back down from this is a challenge. We still need to really come back down to Earth and realize we haven't done the hardest [task] yet."