San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich chastised dwelling fans who jeered former participant Kawhi Leonard through the 109-102 defeat to LA Clippers.
Leonard left the Spurs in 2018 and was booed by their fans as he lined up to take free throws in the second quarter.
Popovich grabbed a courtside microphone to make a spikey announcement.
“Excuse me for a second, please cease all of the booing. Let these guys play, and present a bit of class, it isn’t who we’re. Knock off the booing,” he mentioned
Leonard performed a starring position in the Spurs’ NBA Finals victory in 2014, being named Most Valuable Player in the 4-1 series victory over the Miami Heat.
However, he requested to be traded 4 years later throughout his rehabilitation from harm.
Popovich solely briefly touched on the topic when he spoke to reporters after the match and mentioned he didn’t need Leonard to be fired up by the gang.
Leonard ended up high scorer for the Clippers in the match on the Frost Bank Center with 26 factors, together with scoring free throws both aspect of Popovich’s request over the general public tackle system.
“You do not poke the bear. Anybody who is aware of something about sports activities is aware of you do not poke the bear,” Popovich added.
Leonard mentioned he was not stunned by the response of the Spurs fans, who he acknowledged have been a number of the most passionate supporters he had encountered.
“If I haven’t got a Spurs jersey on they’re most likely gonna boo me for the remainder of my profession,” he mentioned.
“It is what it’s. They’re among the best fanbases in the league and so they’re aggressive, and once I step on this basketball court docket I can hear that.
“When I’m on the streets or going into eating places they present love.”
