Gregg Popovich considered getting ejected from Spurs' preseason game on purpose to watch WNBA Finals

The San Antonio Spurs beat the Houston Rockets 117-103 in a preseason game on Wednesday night. However, that wasn’t necessarily what head coach Gregg Popovich was worried about.

Instead, Popovich joked after the game that he almost decided to get kicked out of the preseason game so that he could go watch the WNBA Finals instead.

“I thought about getting booted tonight because [Game 4 in New York] was exactly the same time [as the Spurs game], but I just thought this has to be my priority,” Gregg Popovich said. “It was close. Congrats, Becky. Yeah, baby. Good stuff.”

The Las Vegas Aces won a tight game, 70-69, to secure a championship. It was the second season in a row that the Aces won the WNBA. For their head coach Becky Hammon, it was her second season in the position and her second winning a championship.

Gregg Popovich is close with Becky Hammon and he’s obviously incredibly proud of her success. In 2014, Hammon became an assistant under Popovich. That made her just the second woman to work in the NBA as a coach. She stayed with San Antonio up to taking the Las Vegas job in 2022.

“It’s like Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, it’s Becky and the Aces,” Gregg Popovich said. “Fantastic.”

Becky Hammon was a member of the 2023 NBA Hall of Fame class. She entered the Hall of Fame alongside Gregg Popovich and another Spur, Tony Parker.

“She’s special because she’s Becky, the same reasons why I hired her,” Gregg Popovich said. “She’s a competitive, competitive coach. She understands the game. She’s great with relationships. She suffers no fools. She’s fun to be around. What else could you ask.”

Becky Hammon has, in just two seasons, proven herself as a WNBA coach. Now, it’s only a matter of figuring out what’s next for the talented coach.

San Antonio Spurs, Gregg Popovich agreed to 5-year contract this summer

Gregg Popovich is a Hall of Fame coach and the San Antonio Spurs are clearly determined to hold onto him. They proved that over the summer when the two sides agreed to a new five-year contract that is worth more than $80 million over the summer.

In 1996, Popovich became the head coach of the Spurs. After a shaky start, he got things going with players like Tim Duncan starring for San Antonio in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Since then, he’s won five NBA Championships with San Antonio.

After winning the NBA Draft Lottery, Gregg Popovich and the Spurs are hoping to return to the NBA Finals with help from Victor Wembanyama.