Steve Kerr and Ime Udoka on Friday put their playoff feud aside for a brief moment to honor Gregg Popovich.
Kerr’s Golden State Warriors and Udoka’s Houston Rockets squared off in Game 6 of their first-round series at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif. Before the game, Kerr spoke candidly about Popovich, who had announced earlier in the day that he was stepping away as head coach of the San Antonio Spurs. You can read Popovich’s full statement here.
Kerr showed up to his pregame press conference wearing a “Thanks, Pop” shirt and expressed how much Popovich has meant to the NBA, both as a basketball mind and a human being.
“You can say that almost any matchup, you seem to be coaching against a Pop disciple,” said Kerr. “That’s his impact on the game, on the league.
“The success, the records, all that stuff go without saying. But it’s the impact he’s had on so many of us — our lives, our families, and of course our coaching development. Pop transformed coaching.”
It’s only fitting two Gregg Popovich disciples, Steve Kerr and Ime Udoka, coach against each other in Game 6 tonight.
— Vanessa Richardson (@SportsVanessa) May 2, 2025
Here’s Kerr (wearing a Thanks, Pop! shirt) when I asked him about that full circle moment: pic.twitter.com/o9nOcISTjd
Udoka, who both played for and coached under Popovich, rocked the exact same shirt as Kerr during his own pregame press conference.
Steve Kerr and Ime Udoka wore Coach Pop shirts during pregame 🫶
— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) May 3, 2025
Both Kerr and Udoka played for Gregg Popovich, and Udoka would later work as an assistant coach under Pop pic.twitter.com/DdfgvFk6fH
Despite the Warriors and Rockets being in the midst of a heated playoff series, both head coaches agreed to show solidarity in supporting Popovich. But the proverbial gloves came off after the opening tip.
Udoka’s Rockets outmuscled Kerr’s Warriors 115-107 in Game 6 to force one more game between the pair of Popovich disciples.
