As the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors battle in the NBA Finals to be crowned World Champions, Hall of Fame Coach Gregg “Pop” Popovich is sitting back and watching two of his star pupils battle it out as coaches like a proud father.
Both Warriors HC Steve Kerr, and Celtics rookie HC Ime Udoka played for Coach Pop as members of the San Antonio Spurs during their lengthy playing careers.
And although Steve Kerr was never an assistant coach on any of Popovich’s Spurs staffs, he was a member of two championship Spurs teams.
(1999, 2003)
After playing only a few seasons for the Spurs, (’07,’08), Udoka would later become an assistant to Coach Pop for seven seasons on his path to becoming the Celtics leader.
When Sam Crenshaw asked Terrell Thomas about the Popovich influence on this year’s NBA Finals, Terrell responded by saying, “he trained his students almost like Mr. Miyagi.”
“The keys to Coach Pop’s teams were always defense, and when you look at these two teams, both the Warriors and Celtics are certainly the same” analyzed Terrell when comparing the styles of play that the two NBA Finals participants display on the court.
Steve Kerr joined a short list of first year NBA head coaches to win a title in their rookie season when he led the Warriors to the championship in 2015.
Will Ime Udoka become the newest member of that exclusive club?
No matter which team raises the Larry O’Brien Trophy at the end of this year’s NBA Finals, Coach Pop will be a happy man.