Gregg Popovich certain Tim Duncan doesn't have interest in coaching: "He may never go to a game the rest of his life"
Five-time NBA champion Tim Duncan "has no interest in coaching" if San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich is to be believed.
Popovich said this to the media after the Spurs lost 97-119 to the LA Clippers on Saturday night. Popovich made the remark when he was asked if certain players can make good coaches, to which the Spurs coach replied that Tim Duncan wasn't one of them. Pop said:
"He may never go to a game the rest of his life. But he comes to practices and walks around to see the boys play. But he has no interest in coaching."
Tim Duncan did become an assistant coach with the Spurs for one season in 2019-20, but did not continue in that role thereafter. Asked whether he has given up on Duncan returning to a coaching role, Popovich replied:
"Yeah. I gave up. When we had him [Duncan] that one year, I gave up after a week. It shows a maturity and intelligence, unlike some of us. We just keep doing it because we love it.
"But he has other interests. He's not wedded to basketball. People fall in love, but basketball doesn't really love you. Your friends and family love you. Basketball doesn't love you."
Tim Duncan and Gregg Popovich share a special bond with each other
Tim Duncan joined the San Antonio Spurs after being selected as the first pick in the 1997 draft class. With Gregg Popovich already in the head coaching seat in San Antonio, the duo went on to help the franchise win five NBA titles in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014.
Speaking at his own Hall of Fame induction, Duncan thanked Popovich for the impact the coach had on him as a player. Duncan said:
"He's going to be mad at me, but the standard you set, you showed up after I got drafted, you came to my island, you sat with my friends, my family, you talked with my dad – I thought that was normal, it's not. You are an exceptional person.
"Thank you for teaching me about basketball, but even beyond that, teaching me that it's not all about basketball. It's about what's happening in the world, by your family, just for everything. Thank you for being the amazing human being that you are."
With Duncan as the anchor of the Spurs team, Popovich went on to win three Coach of the Year titles (2003, 2012 and 2014). Popovich was also named among the NBA's 15 greatest coaches as part of the league's 75th anniversary clebrations last season.
Speaking at Duncan's jersey retirement ceremony in December 2016, this is what Popovich had to say about his superstar player:
"He understood everything that I was saying, probably agreed with about half of it, but he's so respectful that he wouldn't say anything until later. He won't do it in front of the team and sometimes I'd be merciless.
"And for that, I'm really thankful because you allowed me to coach the team. If your superstar can take a little hit now and then, everybody else can shut the hell up and fall in line. And that man did that for me. He allowed me to coach."