Apr 26, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) during the first quarter of game three of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs against the Houston Rockets at Chase Center. Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Draymond Green Sends Heartfelt Message to Spurs' Gregg Popovich

Originally posted on San Antonio Spurs on SI
By Matt Guzman | Last updated May 3, 2025 2:27 PM ET

As the San Antonio Spurs prepare to transition to life without Gregg Popovich on the sidelines — this time for good — they're still processing the news themselves. They aren't the only ones.

"Oh, man, that is my guy," Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green said. "Coach Pop is incredible, and you know, none of us knew when (the) day would come that he’d hang them up, but it sucks to see him go."

"I had the ultimate honor for playing for him and winning a gold medal."@Money23Green reflects on his experience with the legendary Gregg Popovich for the #USABMNT pic.twitter.com/HHIOGbG89D
— NBA (@NBA) May 3, 2025

Green spoke on the 76-year-old coach following Game 6 of the Warriors' first-round series against the Houston Rockets, recalling fondly his gold medal victory under Popovich during the 2016 Olympics.

"I had the ultimate honor playing for him and winning a gold medal," Green said.

Draymond Green ends his media session with a heartfelt message for #Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and his family. pic.twitter.com/c38WMx63lv
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) April 25, 2018

Green has spent 13 seasons with the Warriors — less than half of Popovich's total time in the NBA — and faced the coach several times in both the regular season and playoffs. He got a closer look at Popovich's personality, which had him emotional behind the microphone.

"It just appears as if he's like this mean old man," Green said, "and he is the complete opposite. Like, complete opposite. The nicest person you ever want to be around. He cares about people so much."

BREAKING: Gregg Popovich will no longer be Head Coach of the San Antonio Spurs and is transitioning full-time to Team President, sources told ESPN. The iconic Popovich is a Basketball Hall of Famer, the NBA’s all-time winningest coach, and led the Spurs to five championships. pic.twitter.com/mbtUtpgA4V
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 2, 2025

Now that Popovich is stepping into a full-time role as the Spurs' President of Basketball Operations, Green won't get to hug the coach before games any longer. But he'll be far from the only one missing seeing him on the sidelines.

"It sucked playing against the Spurs this year and ... not seeing him there," Green said. "I just wish I had one last time to go hug him on the sideline again. He means so much to this league. He means so much to me. Job well done. Well-deserved retirement. I hope he enjoys the hell out of it."

This article first appeared on San Antonio Spurs on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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