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Usually, Mike Brown observed that San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich stayed calm even through challenging moments.
The rare exception: when Popovich saw Spurs star Tim Duncan make a mistake in a practice session or in a game.
“Pop coached him hard. If Tim messed up, Pop got on him,” said Brown, who served as a Spurs’ assistant coach (2000-2003). When other players saw that, it made it easier to coach the rest of the team.”
That dynamic partly explains why Popovich won all five of his NBA championships during Duncan’s 18-year NBA career (1998-2016). That dynamic also partly explains why Popovich will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall-of-Fame on Saturday.
Brown, who is currently entering his second season as the Sacramento Kings’ head coach, spoke to Sportskeeda about how Popovich coached Duncan, how he mediated between Popovich and Stephen Jackson and more.
Sportskeeda interview with Mike Brown on Gregg Popovich, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and more
Editor’s note: The following Q&A has been edited and condensed.
You often remarked that Pop would always express gratitude that Tim Duncan allowed him to coach him and get on him. How did you see that dynamic play out?
“That’s what made them special. Pop cursed Tim out the same way he would curse Tony out. Tim handled it the right way. When you have your best player, especially a Hall-of-Famer, MVP and champion, allowing that to happen, it makes the team much closer.”
What were the memorable film sessions, practices or games that prompted Pop to get on Duncan?
“There are many. But all it is Pop going at it and Tim just reacting and responding the right way. There was nothing out of the ordinary.”
One of Pop’s favorite stories about you is that you were helpful with stopping Stephen Jackson from beating him up….
(laughs). “He coached ‘Jack hard. At the time, ‘Jack was young and full of energy. Jack and I were really close, even off the floor. He’d come to the house for dinner and he was always one of the guys that I worked out. He would help coach my kids’ Little League games on the weekends. So we cemented a bond. Any time there was something that happened in the heat of the moment, I was able to speak real with him. He had a trust in me and belief in me during those times because of the time we spent together and how close we were. I settled things down when stuff got a little too hot. Both guys were capable of getting a little hot.”
Pop recalled how impressed you were during a coaches’ retreat in Maine. That prompted Pop to elevate your role on the staff. What do you remember about that?
“When I first took the job [in 2000], Pop said to me, ‘Mike, you’re young and you never played in the league.’ I was replacing Paul Pressey, who was replaced by Alvin Gentry. Both of those guys were a lot older than me. Alvin had been a head coach before, and Paul had played in the league. And I was 30 at the time. I had only been a bench coach for two years [in Washington]. Hank Egan was on Pop’s staff after coaching me in college [at San Diego State]. He was worried that if we had gotten in heated discussions as a staff about a particular thing that I would back down because Coach Egan coached me in college and I would always agree with his side. Pop said to me, ‘I’m going to hire you and you’re going to start off behind the bench. If I feel like you deserve to be at the front of the bench, I’ll rip up your contract and promote you to the front of the bench.’
In every business, you have to have a confidence about yourself. That was easy to bet on myself. The first time I met everybody on staff was in Maine at his vacation house on a coaches retreat. We were up there hashing out the season for a week. At the end of the retreat, he told me that I would be on the front of the bench. There are smarter people out there. A lot of times, if you listen, they will make you a lot smarter instead of trying to talk your way into making people think that you’re smart.”
You’ve said you most admire Pop for always being steady and never panicking. What examples stood out to you?
“Maybe it’s his time in the Air Force. But it always seemed like no matter how dire the situation was, he’s in control with himself and the group. When you have a leader that is that strong in big situations, it breeds confidence to the group. I don’t know if there are a ton of examples I can think of, but I think his ability to coach the game the right way with his demeanor always bred confidence with the group. It was always something special."
"What is also special is his ability to make everybody feel like they’re contributing. I don’t care if you’re Tim Duncan, the sixth man or the 15th man. Pop made you feel like you were part of the championships that we won. Pop’s ability to manage people was second-to-none. He even made the custodians that cleaned the arena and the practice facility feel like they were part of us winning a championship. They were. But to make them feel connected to the group’s success, that’s special thing that Pop’s been able to do.”
What’s your favorite Pop story?
“There are a ton of them. Everybody speaks about how he is a great coach and how his coaching tree is strong. That’s true. He’s going to go down as the best, if not one of the best to coach the game at the highest level. A lot of times, though, they don’t speak about his character and makeup as a human being."
"I was going through a divorce [in 2015]. I was living in San Antonio and working with the Spurs. My wife, who I was going through a divorce with, was living in Denver, Colo. My two boys were really young. I didn’t get to see them much during the season. I’d fly my younger sister from Las Vegas to Denver to pick up my two boys and she’d fly them to San Antonio."
"They were out with me and I was taking them to the airport. I was about to go on a plane for an East Coast swing. I had them at the gate. But they were bawling and didn’t want to get on a plane. So I called Pop and told him, ‘I’m at the airport, but I’m putting my sister and kids on a plane. I’ll be right over.’ He said, ‘Mike, don’t worry about it. Stay with your kids. I said, ‘Pop, I have the next scout. I just have to get them on the plane and I’ll be there.’ Pop said, ‘Mike, stay with your kids and don’t come on this trip. I don’t expect you to come on this plane.’ I said, ‘Pop, everything will be okay.’ He then said, ‘If you get on this plane, I’ll fire you.’ (laughs). So I stayed with my kids and missed the East Coast swing. [Mike] Budenholzer was an assistant. and so he covered my scouting assignments. I stayed an extra five days with my kids. That’s one of my favorite Pop stories. I’m glad he didn’t fire me. I needed the job (laughs).”
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