"Was I in a mental institution?": Gregg Popovich fires back at Steve Kerr's comments as Victor Wembanyama destroys Warriors
Longtime San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had a funny retort to former ward and now fellow coach Steve Kerr, who said he should feel “rejuvenated” now that they have prized rookie Victor Wembanyama in their fold.
Kerr made mention of it ahead of the Golden State Warriors’ final preseason game against the Spurs at Chase Center in San Francisco, California, on October 20.
When Popovich got wind of what his counterpart had said, as per sportswriter Tom Orsborn, the Hall-of-Fame basketball coach jokingly responded:
“What was I being rejuvenated from? Was I in a mental institution? Was I depressed and curled up in my bedroom or something?… Steve is an [expletive]."
Gregg Popovich saw Wembanyama dominate the Warriors in the opening half of their preseason game.
The 19-year-old French phenom torched Golden State on its home floor for 15 points, four blocks, three rebounds, one assist and one steal in 16 minutes of log time, helping the Spurs to a 72-63 lead at half-time.
Popovich will be coaching the Spurs for the 28th year in the 2023-24 NBA season. He has led the team to five league titles (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014). In the past four years, however, the team missed the playoff bus.
With Wembanyama now a key cog in their attack, many are expecting a marked improvement happening at The Alamo.
Gregg Popovich still figuring out Victor Wembanyama
The San Antonio Spurs coach is excited to coach prized rookie Victor Wembanyama, He, however, admitted that this early in their campaign he is still figuring out the best way to use the basketball phenom on the floor.
Following their first preseason game on October 9, Popovich shared in the postgame press conference that it was a gem to watch Wembanyama do what he does. He is only expecting great things from his young player moving forward and he hopes they could help the 7-foot-4 player further develop,
The five-time NBA champion coach said:
“I thought it was fun. He just went out and played. No big-game plan for him or anything like that, he just played basketball, which he likes to do and he’s good at.
“We’re still trying to figure out whether he should be on the perimeter or on the post, and in what situations where we can take most advantage of his abilities. I’m not sure if he’s even sure, but it will be a little bit of both. He’s a smart guy, so he’ll figure it out even if I don’t.”
Check out what Gregg Popovich had to say, beginning at the 0:35 mark:
In his first preseason game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Wembanyama finished with 20 points, five rebounds, two steals and one block in 19 minutes of play. They, however, narrowly lost, 122-121.
The Spurs begin their regular season campaign on October 25 at home against the Dallas Mavericks.