Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard on Saturday had nothing but kind words for his former head coach Gregg Popovich.
On Friday, Popovich announced that he was stepping down as the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs after holding the title for 29 seasons. Popovich is expected to transition to a new role as the team’s president of basketball operations.
Leonard was asked about the news following his Clippers’ exit from the 2025 postseason. The former Spurs All-Star expressed his gratitude for Popovich, who had coached him for the first seven years of his NBA career.
“He coached until pretty much he couldn’t,” said Leonard. “I appreciate everything he has done for me, coming into the league. he helped build my foundation and showed me how to win. I want to congratulate him on his career. But also, just stay healthy.”
"I appreciate everything he has done for me… he helped build my foundation and showed me how to win."
— NBA (@NBA) May 4, 2025
Kawhi Leonard reflects postgame on his former coach, the legendary Gregg Popovich 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/bWkrJjvxCT
Leonard was widely seen as the Spurs’ likely successor to Tim Duncan after the former rose to stardom during Duncan’s twilight years. A rift developed between Leonard and the Spurs during the 2017-18 season due to disagreements about Kawhi’s injury rehab. The divide eventually led to Leonard getting traded to the Toronto Raptors, whom he led to their first NBA championship in franchise history.
Some Spurs fans have harbored some resentment against Leonard for his messy exit from the team. But Popovich has always shown Leonard respect, even to the point of defending Kawhi from fan scrutiny. The respect between the two clearly goes both ways.
