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San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich almost got himself thrown out from their game against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night. Popovich wanted to see Game 4 of the 2023 WNBA Finals, where his former assistant Becky Hammon is in charge of the Las Vegas Aces.
In the postgame interview following the Spurs' 117-103 win, Popovich told reporters that he was in a hurry, as he wanted to see the Aces celebrate winning back-to-back WNBA championships.
He also said that thought about getting himself disqualified from the game but changed his mind.
"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," Popovich said.
"It was close. Congrats, Becky. Yeah, baby. Good stuff." [H/T San Antonio Express News]
Getting ejected is not something new to Gregg Popovich, who has been thrown out at least 20 times during his career. Popovich even holds the record for the fastest disqualification by a coach (63 seconds against the Denver Nuggets in 2019).
Becky Hammon, who was a San Antonio Spurs assistant from 2014 to 2022, led the Las Vegas Aces to their second straight WNBA championship. The Aces became the first WNBA team to go back-to-back in 21 years since the LA Sparks did so in 2002.
Hammon did a fabulous job in leading the Aces to a Game 4 70-69 win, where they were missing two key players, Chelsea Gray and Kiah Stokes. Gray and Stokes suffered foot injuries in Game 3 and were ruled out for Wednesday's game.
Aj'a Wilson was named the 2023 WNBA Finals MVP, averaging 21.3 points, 12.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in four games.
Gregg Popovich on what makes Becky Hammon special
Becky Hammon worked under Gregg Popovich for eight seasons before taking over as the coach of the Las Vegas Aces in 2022. Hammon, a former WNBA star, was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this year, along with his mentor.
Reporters asked coach Pop on Wednesday night about what makes Hammon a special coach. The five-time NBA champion coach explained that Hammon's competitiveness separates her from others.
"She's special because she's Becky, the same reasons why I hired her," 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?"
