Gregg Popovich is just like Steve Kerr in the sense that he is an NBA coach who has no problem with voicing his opinion on very pressing political issues. The latest big topic that everyone has on their mind right now is police brutality. Following the death of George Floyd, protesters have hit the streets of the United States to stand up against all of the injustices that have been committed over the last few centuries.

President Donald Trump has done nothing but tweet since the start of the protests and people are extremely upset with his lack of leadership. During a conversation with Dave Zirin of The Nation, Popovich spoke on Trump’s divisiveness and delivered a scathing rant in the process.

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Per Popovich:

“He’s not just divisive. He’s a destroyer. To be in his presence makes you die. He will eat you alive for his own purposes. I’m appalled that we have a leader who can’t say ‘Black Lives Matter.’ That’s why he hides in the White House basement. He is a coward. He creates a situation and runs away like a grade-schooler. Actually, I think it’s best to ignore him. There is nothing he can do to make this better because of who he is: a deranged idiot.”

These are very strong words although many are feeling the exact same way right now, especially those who play in the NBA. Popovich has always had the backs of his players and these comments are further proof of that.

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Player empowerment has been one of the biggest topics in basketball over the last couple of years. Unlike many other sports, basketball players have the ability to request trades seemingly at random and end up getting what they want. Players are able to create superteams and get massive contracts compared to their teammates. Over the years, it has become clear that the players have all the power and the general managers are simply sitting ducks who must do everything to keep their stars happy.

Kawhi Leonard is a solid example of this trend. Back in 2018, Leonard was able to force his way out of San Antonio after they mishandled his injury. This inciting incident was recently talked about by Tom Haberstroh of NBC Sports. In his report, he notes that this particular issue had GM’s clutching their pearls.

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Per NBC Sports:

“So, what’s going on here? Polling some executives over the past few weeks, it’s clear that the league over the years has shifted the power structure to appear more player-centric, erring on the side of caution to protect their star player and also demonstrate a certain appreciation for the player’s long-term career.

As for the origin of this recent trend, several pointed to a single event: Kawhi Leonard forcing his way out of San Antonio in 2018 after a disagreement over how to handle his quad issue.

“Kawhi scared the living hell out of everyone,” said one GM. “If it can happen to the Spurs, it can happen to anybody.””

Kawhi eventually got traded to the Toronto Raptors and helped them win a championship. Now, he’s on the Los Angeles Clippers and is about to the same. Clearly, player empowerment is working as long as you’re not the GM on the wrong side of it.

One of the most iconic Air Max sneakers of all-time is the Nike Air Max 98 which carries forward the dad shoe aesthetic we all know and love. This sneaker has received plenty of colorways over the years and every so often, we are blessed with yet another. This time around, it appears as though Nike is using an NBA team as the inspiration for a new model. While it’s not an official inspiration, there is no denying the San Antonio Spurs vibes on the sneaker, below.

As you can see, white leather and mesh wraps its way around the shoe while black is placed on the top. There are silver Nike swooshes place on the sides and toe box which helps accelerate the Spurs motif. If you’re a fan of the Texas-based basketball team, these might be the kicks for you. 

According to Sneaker News, there is no official release date for these but you can expect them to drop in the near future. Let us know in the comments below what you think and whether or not you plan on copping.

Image Nike

Image Nike

Image Nike

Image Nike

Image Nike

Image Nike

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James had his way with the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night at Staples Center. The four-time NBA MVP posted 36 points on 12-of-20 from the field, including 6-of-9 from behind the arc, to go along with nine assist and seven rebounds in the 129-102 victory.

Following the game, Spurs head coach Greg Popovich was asked what he instructs his team to do when LeBron starts to take over like he did during his 19-point fourth quarter last night. As is often the case, Pop was less than amused by the question as he quipped, "Make sure you get good pictures? We try prevent it. If we could prevent it, we would have. Jesus. Do you stay up all night to think of questions like that?"

The good news for Coach Pop, San Antonio doesn't have any remaining games against the Lakers - unless the two teams square off in the playoffs.

Marcus Morris has been in the news quite a bit lately although it hasn’t exactly been for the greatest of reasons. He was criticized for sexist comments following a fight with Jae Crowder of the Memphis Grizzlies and now, his conduct with the San Antonio Spurs is being brought up again. For those who don’t know, Morris made a verbal commitment to the Spurs this offseason although he ended up signing a one-year deal with the New York Knicks, instead.

In a piece by Michael Scotto of Bleacher Report, it was revealed that Morris actually ghosted the Spurs which angered them quite a bit, especially since they ended up trading Davis Bertans to make room for the star. As Scotto describes, Morris treated the Spurs like a bad date.

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“Morris essentially treated the Spurs like a person who goes on a first and second date and then ghosts the other person, leaving them to question what went wrong,” Scotto wrote.

Heading into this offseason, it will be interesting to see what Morris decides to do. He will be a free agent again and thanks to what he did to the Spurs, teams will be wary of his verbal agreements. Perhaps teams will force him to put pen to paper before making the same mistake as the Spurs.

ESPN's NBA double-header for next Wednesday, January 22nd, was originally scheduled to conclude with a matchup between the Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets. But that was before the New Orleans Pelicans announced the date of Zion Williamson's highly anticipated NBA debut.

According to The New York Times' Marc Stein, that Nuggets-Rockets game has been swapped out of the national spotlight in favor of Spurs at Pelicans, giving fans across the country an opportunity to watch Zion's first real NBA action. That game, airing on ESPN, will tipoff at 9:30pm ET.

It was a chaotic night at the TD Garden in Boston on Wednesday, specifically during the third quarter when Kemba Walker was ejected from the game.

As seen in the footage embedded below, Walker lashed out at the officials after he was laid out by a hard screen set by San Antonio Spurs forward LaMarcus Aldridge. The Celtics point guard was ultimately ejected for his reaction - and a rogue Celtics fan retaliated by hurling a beer onto the court right by the Spurs' bench.

Basketball has become one of the most popular sports in the world and by extension, the NBA is one of the most popular leagues. The last decade has proven to be quite successful for the NBA even if there has been a lack of parity. Perhaps the biggest trend in the last ten years is how popular shooting threes has become. The Golden State Warriors proved that this is one of the most effective strategies and were able to win three of the last five NBA titles because of it.

In a recent interview, San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich spoke about how the NBA is a copycat league and that it’s become boring to watch. As he explains, this is mostly because everyone is shooting threes now which in his opinion, takes some fun out of the game. 

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“We all steal from each other, that’s the bottom line,” Popovich said according to Mike Monroe of The Athletic. “None of us [is] innovative. We just look for somebody who did something well, and we copy it. And now we all penetrate and shoot threes, which is very boring.”

Popovich’s comments are certainly interesting and were even echoed by Warriors head coach Steve Kerr. While coaches may not like it, it seems as though the players and fans are more than happy with how things are going.

What do you think of this issue? Is Coach Pop right or is the game in a good place?