{"id":132153,"date":"2026-05-17T11:40:07","date_gmt":"2026-05-17T14:40:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/the-athletic-how-gregg-popovich-quietly-became-the-spurs-secret-weapon\/"},"modified":"2026-05-17T11:40:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-17T14:40:12","slug":"the-athletic-how-gregg-popovich-quietly-became-the-spurs-secret-weapon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/en\/the-athletic-how-gregg-popovich-quietly-became-the-spurs-secret-weapon\/","title":{"rendered":"The Athletic: How Gregg Popovich quietly became the Spurs\u2019 secret weapon"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n
\n

Gregg Popovich is no longer the Spurs\u2019 head coach, but he\u2019s played a vital role behind the scenes in San Antonio\u2019s rise this season.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Editor\u2019s Note: Read more NBA coverage from The Athletic\u00a0here<\/a>. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA or its teams.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

SAN ANTONIO<\/strong> \u2014 Devin Vassell can\u2019t wait to hear what El Jefe has to say. He\u2019s sitting at a podium in the southeast corner of the gym but can see his former coach and current mentor all the way across the room. A little white head of hair, a dot in the distance, with a long cane and an undercover smile.<\/p>\n

Vassell, the 25-year-old wing, has become one of the vets of this young Spurs team, a steady hand who always keeps his cool. He walks around the building with the demeanor of a shooter who knows it\u2019s going down every time. It won\u2019t, but that doesn\u2019t change a thing.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to think that way when he has the NBA\u2019s all-time winningest coach pumping confidence into him.<\/p>\n

Vassell knows when he goes over there, Gregg Popovich is going to keep it real, give him some nuggets of wisdom and have him feeling back on top of the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of the day, he\u2019s always giving you feedback, and he\u2019s telling you the truth and honesty,\u201d Vassell said. \u201cThat\u2019s what you need to hear because it\u2019s a lot of BS that might go around. But you need to hear the truth, you need to hear what\u2019s going on, and he\u2019ll do that for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a common theme from everyone on the Spurs who has been mentored by Popovich this season in his new role after he retired from coaching last year. Current coach Mitch Johnson stepped in on an interim basis in November 2024 after Popovich suffered a stroke. After the season, Popovich held a news conference where he announced that he would step away from coaching and take on the new role of \u201cEl Jefe\u201d (Spanish for \u201cThe Boss\u201d), wearing a shirt that said as much. He is formally listed as the president of basketball operations, but his role appears to be focused on providing behind-the-scenes support and guidance to Johnson, his successor, and everyone in the locker room.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s been a big part of this whole year,\u201d rookie Carter Bryant told\u00a0The Athletic<\/em>. \u201cIt\u2019s been amazing. Not everybody has the greatest coach of all time just kind of sitting there in their laps. I just try to take it up as much as I can.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 20-year-old Bryant has played well enough to hold down a rotation spot for a 62-win contender deep into the postseason, often earning his spot over Harrison Barnes, an NBA champion in 2015. Bryant never played for Pop and just met him back in the fall. But he quickly sought out the coaching legend as a resource, and El Jefe has been that and more for him.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes he calls me so fast after the game that we\u2019re still in the locker room and I can\u2019t even answer it,\u201d Bryant said. \u201cHe texts me damn near after every game. I probably talk to him on the phone three times a week.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bryant is not alone. It was an open secret within the team that Popovich was forging or maintaining relationships with each player all season long. He talks to Keldon Johnson, the longest-tenured Spurs player, every day. Second-year guard Steph Castle leans on Popovich often for advice and help navigating the season. Whether they played for Popovich for seven years or seven days, he\u2019s been locked in for them.<\/p>\n

During the season, Popovich would poke his head out at practice once in a blue moon while the media were present, holding court by what used to be his court. He would sit and observe as players would come over, one by one, for a debriefing. He\u2019d often put his hand on their shoulder, demonstrate some sort of X\u2019s-and-O\u2019s tip from his seat and sometimes walk around to say something to players or coaches standing on the sidelines.<\/p>\n

Recently, Popovich has started to emerge more from the shadows. The players have come to expect that when they\u2019re in San Antonio, any time they show up to work, Popovich may be there. Spurs CEO RC Buford said Popovich was in the gym at least four times a week rehabbing from his stroke, often with Tim Duncan or other Spurs legends visiting town.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the reason why, with Pop\u2019s stroke rehabilitation, Tim\u2019s in the gym with him every day, and that\u2019s not because Pop is telling him to be there,\u201d\u00a0Buford told\u00a0The Athletic\u00a0<\/em>last month.\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s because Tim feels the emotional connection to want to be there in the ways that Pop was there for him. Anytime people are in town, they\u2019ll be in there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even when the Spurs land, Popovich\u2019s presence is felt. Earlier this week, Popovich was spotted talking to Victor Wembanyama when the team plane landed after the Spurs\u2019 star was ejected from Game 4 of their second-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves\u00a0for elbowing Naz Reid in the neck.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe maybe wanted to make a statement, or make his talking even more impactful, by being there,\u201d Wembanyama said. \u201cHe gives feedback and talks to us regularly throughout our series, throughout our games. As always, when he speaks, everybody listens.\u201d<\/p>\n

But this was far from a one-off thing. Popovich has been waiting by the runway multiple times throughout the season.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know what his car looks like. So when we see his car, we know he\u2019s there,\u201d reserve point guard Jordan McLaughlin said. \u201cIt\u2019s nice to know he\u2019s in our corner and always watching us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johnson and his staff maintain autonomy over the day-to-day operations. It\u2019s their team, and Pop is there for support. Popovich sits in with the coaching staff from time to time, more frequently as the young Spurs embark on a run at the championship. When the Spurs were in a film session following a practice earlier in this second-round series, Popovich was the first person to emerge from the vicinity of the film room. Vassell said Popovich helped out a lot in that film session.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was just there watching film. He loves basketball,\u201d McLaughlin said. \u201cHe\u2019s around anytime he can be.\u201d<\/p>\n

But he\u2019s mostly carried out his impact at an individual level, helping players such as Vassell and Bryant find their focus while seeing the bigger picture.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that\u2019s one big thing, respecting the game and not taking any of this for granted,\u201d Vassell said. \u201cAnd just with life, he\u2019s taught me so much stuff off the court, whether it\u2019s family or giving back in the community, he\u2019s always had that at his forefront, and I appreciate him for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Popovich plays a distinct role in the coach-to-player communication pipeline. Each player has an assistant coach assigned to him for his development, which includes coordinating and executing all on-court training and film study. The assistants are responsible for managing the players\u2019 emotions and preparedness, helping them navigate the challenges of the season. Then there are the core assistant coaches, such as associate head coach Sean Sweeney, who typically play a more balanced role of coordinating game-plan strategy, making big-picture decisions with the head coach while maintaining touchpoints with the players. Front-bench assistants tend to have players for whom they are the primary coaches as well, though their duties are split more broadly.<\/p>\n

A head coach, such as Johnson now, must maintain their own relationships with everyone on the roster while making all of the micro and macro decisions about what the team will do as a whole. Head coaches set the tone for priorities for each player. Great head coaches are able to make the players feel as if there is still a close relationship amid all of those responsibilities.<\/p>\n

The El Jefe role allows Popovich to fill some of the gaps in the overall process, ranging from specific on-court instruction to offering a bigger-picture perspective on mindset.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s speaking life into you,\u201d Bryant said. \u201cA lot of times, there\u2019s some things you need to hear from different people. Sometimes it clicks when it\u2019s not the constant voice that you\u2019re hearing for 82 games out of the year.<\/p>\n

It is not uncommon for franchise legends to be involved with players from a distance. In Boston, late Hall of Fame coach and player Tommy Heinsohn would poke his head in the locker room to speak with key Celtics players after tough losses. Some teams will have former coaches serve as senior advisers who continue to provide guidance from time to time. Popovich appears to be turning the El Jefe role into his own version of that, displaying his signature ability to forge relationships with players while easing up a bit on the throttle now that he is no longer in charge of managing the whole program.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s funny because you hear the stories about him being tough on guys and, obviously, he\u2019s not my head coach, so I don\u2019t kind of get that same experience,\u201d Bryant said. \u201cBut I\u2019m like, \u2018What are you talking about?\u2019 This dude is the sweetest, nicest guy. He\u2019s dope.\u201d<\/p>\n

With Popovich\u2019s support, Bryant said the playoffs have actually been less nerve-wracking for him than the beginning of the season. The need to perform to earn minutes produced what he called \u201cunnecessary pressure,\u201d and it was taking his joy of the game away. Then, Pop called and told him to play free and have fun.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you think about it at the end of the day, you\u2019re grateful to be healthy, you\u2019re grateful to wake up, you\u2019re grateful to do all these things and have all these things in your life on a daily basis,\u201d Bryant said. \u201cBasketball\u2019s going to be basketball.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now Bryant, like the rest of this young Spurs team, is playing free and having fun. The Spurs have exceeded every expectation this season, thanks in large part to Johnson and his staff having one of the best performances in the league. But running a team takes a village, and El Jefe has continued to do his part.<\/p>\n

As the Spurs find themselves one win away from a showdown with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference finals, Bryant will play some role, big or small.<\/p>\n

Whatever happens, he\u2019ll have to race back to the locker room, because he knows his phone will be ringing.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Jared Weiss<\/a><\/strong> is a staff writer covering the San Antonio Spurs and Victor Wembanyama for The Athletic. He has covered the Celtics since 2011, co-founding CLNS Media Network while in college before covering the team for SB Nation\u2019s CelticsBlog and USA Today. Before coming to The Athletic, Weiss spent a decade working for the government, primarily as a compliance bank regulator. Follow Jared on X @JaredWeissNBA<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n


\n
Source link <\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gregg Popovich is no longer the Spurs\u2019 head coach, but he\u2019s played a vital role behind the scenes in San Antonio\u2019s rise this season. Editor\u2019s Note: Read more NBA coverage from The Athletic\u00a0here. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA or its teams.\u00a0 *** SAN ANTONIO \u2014 Devin […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":132154,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"googlesitekit_rrm_CAow2JLhCw:productID":"","maa_idioma":"","maa_pais":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2725],"tags":[6674,4730,30196,4726,10999,4035,8041],"class_list":["post-132153","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe","tag-athletic","tag-gregg","tag-popovich","tag-quietly","tag-secret","tag-spurs","tag-weapon"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Athletic: How Gregg Popovich quietly became the Spurs\u2019 secret weapon - Ubirat\u00e3 Online Not\u00edcias - A realidade ao seu alcance!<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Gregg Popovich is no longer the Spurs\u2019 head coach, but he\u2019s played a vital role behind the scenes in San Antonio\u2019s rise this season. Editor\u2019s Note: Read\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/en\/the-athletic-how-gregg-popovich-quietly-became-the-spurs-secret-weapon\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Athletic: How Gregg Popovich quietly became the Spurs\u2019 secret weapon\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Gregg Popovich is no longer the Spurs\u2019 head coach, but he\u2019s played a vital role behind the scenes in San Antonio\u2019s rise this season. Editor\u2019s Note: Read\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/en\/the-athletic-how-gregg-popovich-quietly-became-the-spurs-secret-weapon\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Ubirat\u00e3 Online Not\u00edcias - A realidade ao seu alcance!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/portalubirataonline\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-17T14:40:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-17T14:40:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/The-Athletic-How-Gregg-Popovich-quietly-became-the-Spurs-secret.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"ubirataonline\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ubirataonline\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ubirataonline\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"ubirataonline\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ubirataonline.com.br\\\/the-athletic-how-gregg-popovich-quietly-became-the-spurs-secret-weapon\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ubirataonline.com.br\\\/the-athletic-how-gregg-popovich-quietly-became-the-spurs-secret-weapon\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"ubirataonline\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ubirataonline.com.br\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/372f87bbd3fdd79b8556b84c98d0bc1c\"},\"headline\":\"The Athletic: How Gregg Popovich quietly became the Spurs\u2019 secret weapon\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-17T14:40:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-17T14:40:12+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ubirataonline.com.br\\\/the-athletic-how-gregg-popovich-quietly-became-the-spurs-secret-weapon\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1883,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ubirataonline.com.br\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ubirataonline.com.br\\\/the-athletic-how-gregg-popovich-quietly-became-the-spurs-secret-weapon\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ubirataonline.com.br\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/The-Athletic-How-Gregg-Popovich-quietly-became-the-Spurs-secret.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Athletic\",\"Gregg\",\"Popovich\",\"quietly\",\"Secret\",\"Spurs\",\"weapon\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Europe\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"copyrightYear\":\"2026\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ubirataonline.com.br\\\/en\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ubirataonline.com.br\\\/the-athletic-how-gregg-popovich-quietly-became-the-spurs-secret-weapon\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ubirataonline.com.br\\\/the-athletic-how-gregg-popovich-quietly-became-the-spurs-secret-weapon\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Athletic: How Gregg Popovich quietly became the Spurs\u2019 secret weapon - Ubirat\u00e3 Online Not\u00edcias - A realidade ao seu alcance!\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ubirataonline.com.br\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ubirataonline.com.br\\\/the-athletic-how-gregg-popovich-quietly-became-the-spurs-secret-weapon\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ubirataonline.com.br\\\/the-athletic-how-gregg-popovich-quietly-became-the-spurs-secret-weapon\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ubirataonline.com.br\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/The-Athletic-How-Gregg-Popovich-quietly-became-the-Spurs-secret.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-17T14:40:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-17T14:40:12+00:00\",\"description\":\"Gregg Popovich is no longer the Spurs\u2019 head coach, but he\u2019s played a vital role behind the scenes in San Antonio\u2019s rise this season. Editor\u2019s Note: Read\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ubirataonline.com.br\\\/the-athletic-how-gregg-popovich-quietly-became-the-spurs-secret-weapon\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/ubirataonline.com.br\\\/the-athletic-how-gregg-popovich-quietly-became-the-spurs-secret-weapon\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ubirataonline.com.br\\\/the-athletic-how-gregg-popovich-quietly-became-the-spurs-secret-weapon\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ubirataonline.com.br\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/The-Athletic-How-Gregg-Popovich-quietly-became-the-Spurs-secret.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ubirataonline.com.br\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/The-Athletic-How-Gregg-Popovich-quietly-became-the-Spurs-secret.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1080,\"caption\":\"NBA G League\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ubirataonline.com.br\\\/the-athletic-how-gregg-popovich-quietly-became-the-spurs-secret-weapon\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"In\u00edcio\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ubirataonline.com.br\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Athletic: How Gregg Popovich quietly became the Spurs\u2019 secret weapon\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ubirataonline.com.br\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ubirataonline.com.br\\\/\",\"name\":\"Ubirat\u00e3 Online Not\u00edcias\",\"description\":\"Not\u00edcias de Ubirat\u00e3, regi\u00e3o, Brasil e mundo, com informa\u00e7\u00e3o atualizada e compromisso com o leitor.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ubirataonline.com.br\\\/#organization\"},\"alternateName\":\"Ubirat\u00e3 Online\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ubirataonline.com.br\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":[\"Organization\",\"Place\"],\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ubirataonline.com.br\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Ubirat\u00e3 Online Not\u00edcias\",\"alternateName\":\"Ubirat\u00e3 Online\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ubirataonline.com.br\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ubirataonline.com.br\\\/the-athletic-how-gregg-popovich-quietly-became-the-spurs-secret-weapon\\\/#local-main-organization-logo\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ubirataonline.com.br\\\/the-athletic-how-gregg-popovich-quietly-became-the-spurs-secret-weapon\\\/#local-main-organization-logo\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/portalubirataonline\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/ubirataonline\",\"https:\\\/\\\/mastodon.social\\\/@ubirataonline\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/groups\\\/311144672285604\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/UBTAOnline\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/portalubirataonline\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/twitter.com\\\/ubirataonline\"],\"description\":\"Somos um portal de not\u00edcias independente, criado em 5 de janeiro de 2009, com o objetivo de informar, conectar e valorizar a nossa comunidade de Ubirat\u00e3 e toda aregi\u00e3o. Com conte\u00fado atualizado, confi\u00e1vel e relevante, o Ubirat\u00e3 Online \u00e9 o seu espa\u00e7o para ficar por dentro dos principais acontecimentos locais, regionais, Brasil, Mundo e de interesse geral. Nosso compromisso \u00e9 com a verdade, a transpar\u00eancia e o respeito ao leitor.\",\"legalName\":\"UBIRATA ONLINE NOT\u00cdCIAS\",\"foundingDate\":\"2009-01-05\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"1\",\"maxValue\":\"10\"},\"publishingPrinciples\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ubirataonline.com.br\\\/faq\\\/\",\"address\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ubirataonline.com.br\\\/the-athletic-how-gregg-popovich-quietly-became-the-spurs-secret-weapon\\\/#local-main-place-address\"},\"geo\":{\"@type\":\"GeoCoordinates\",\"latitude\":\"-24.5361401\",\"longitude\":\"-52.9921776\"},\"telephone\":[\"+5544998308235\"],\"contactPoint\":{\"@type\":\"ContactPoint\",\"email\":\"contato@ubirataonline.com.br\"},\"openingHoursSpecification\":{\"@type\":\"OpeningHoursSpecification\",\"dayOfWeek\":[\"Monday\",\"Tuesday\",\"Wednesday\",\"Thursday\",\"Friday\",\"Saturday\",\"Sunday\"],\"opens\":\"00:00\",\"closes\":\"23:59\"},\"email\":\"contato@ubirataonline.com.br\",\"vatID\":\"47.621.418\\\/0001-80\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ubirataonline.com.br\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/372f87bbd3fdd79b8556b84c98d0bc1c\",\"name\":\"ubirataonline\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ubirataonline.com.br\\\/en\\\/author\\\/ubirataonline\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"PostalAddress\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ubirataonline.com.br\\\/the-athletic-how-gregg-popovich-quietly-became-the-spurs-secret-weapon\\\/#local-main-place-address\",\"streetAddress\":\"Rua dos Coqueiros, 104 - Bairro Boa Vista, Rua dos Coqueiros, 104 Bairro Boa Vista\",\"addressLocality\":\"UBIRATA\",\"postalCode\":\"85440-000\",\"addressRegion\":\"PR\",\"addressCountry\":\"BR\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ubirataonline.com.br\\\/the-athletic-how-gregg-popovich-quietly-became-the-spurs-secret-weapon\\\/#local-main-organization-logo\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ubirataonline.com.br\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/logoubirataonline-1.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ubirataonline.com.br\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/logoubirataonline-1.webp\",\"width\":500,\"height\":500,\"caption\":\"Ubirat\u00e3 Online Not\u00edcias\"}]}<\/script>\n<meta name=\"geo.placename\" content=\"UBIRATA\" \/>\n<meta name=\"geo.position\" content=\"-24.5361401;-52.9921776\" \/>\n<meta name=\"geo.region\" content=\"Brazil\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Athletic: How Gregg Popovich quietly became the Spurs\u2019 secret weapon - Ubirat\u00e3 Online Not\u00edcias - A realidade ao seu alcance!","description":"Gregg Popovich is no longer the Spurs\u2019 head coach, but he\u2019s played a vital role behind the scenes in San Antonio\u2019s rise this season. Editor\u2019s Note: Read","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/en\/the-athletic-how-gregg-popovich-quietly-became-the-spurs-secret-weapon\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Athletic: How Gregg Popovich quietly became the Spurs\u2019 secret weapon","og_description":"Gregg Popovich is no longer the Spurs\u2019 head coach, but he\u2019s played a vital role behind the scenes in San Antonio\u2019s rise this season. Editor\u2019s Note: Read","og_url":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/en\/the-athletic-how-gregg-popovich-quietly-became-the-spurs-secret-weapon\/","og_site_name":"Ubirat\u00e3 Online Not\u00edcias - A realidade ao seu alcance!","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/portalubirataonline","article_published_time":"2026-05-17T14:40:07+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-05-17T14:40:12+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":1080,"url":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/The-Athletic-How-Gregg-Popovich-quietly-became-the-Spurs-secret.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"ubirataonline","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@ubirataonline","twitter_site":"@ubirataonline","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"ubirataonline","Est. reading time":"9 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/the-athletic-how-gregg-popovich-quietly-became-the-spurs-secret-weapon\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/the-athletic-how-gregg-popovich-quietly-became-the-spurs-secret-weapon\/"},"author":{"name":"ubirataonline","@id":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/#\/schema\/person\/372f87bbd3fdd79b8556b84c98d0bc1c"},"headline":"The Athletic: How Gregg Popovich quietly became the Spurs\u2019 secret weapon","datePublished":"2026-05-17T14:40:07+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-17T14:40:12+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/the-athletic-how-gregg-popovich-quietly-became-the-spurs-secret-weapon\/"},"wordCount":1883,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/the-athletic-how-gregg-popovich-quietly-became-the-spurs-secret-weapon\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/The-Athletic-How-Gregg-Popovich-quietly-became-the-Spurs-secret.jpg","keywords":["Athletic","Gregg","Popovich","quietly","Secret","Spurs","weapon"],"articleSection":["Europe"],"inLanguage":"en-US","copyrightYear":"2026","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/en\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/the-athletic-how-gregg-popovich-quietly-became-the-spurs-secret-weapon\/","url":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/the-athletic-how-gregg-popovich-quietly-became-the-spurs-secret-weapon\/","name":"The Athletic: How Gregg Popovich quietly became the Spurs\u2019 secret weapon - Ubirat\u00e3 Online Not\u00edcias - A realidade ao seu alcance!","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/the-athletic-how-gregg-popovich-quietly-became-the-spurs-secret-weapon\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/the-athletic-how-gregg-popovich-quietly-became-the-spurs-secret-weapon\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/The-Athletic-How-Gregg-Popovich-quietly-became-the-Spurs-secret.jpg","datePublished":"2026-05-17T14:40:07+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-17T14:40:12+00:00","description":"Gregg Popovich is no longer the Spurs\u2019 head coach, but he\u2019s played a vital role behind the scenes in San Antonio\u2019s rise this season. Editor\u2019s Note: Read","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/the-athletic-how-gregg-popovich-quietly-became-the-spurs-secret-weapon\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/the-athletic-how-gregg-popovich-quietly-became-the-spurs-secret-weapon\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/the-athletic-how-gregg-popovich-quietly-became-the-spurs-secret-weapon\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/The-Athletic-How-Gregg-Popovich-quietly-became-the-Spurs-secret.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/The-Athletic-How-Gregg-Popovich-quietly-became-the-Spurs-secret.jpg","width":1920,"height":1080,"caption":"NBA G League"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/the-athletic-how-gregg-popovich-quietly-became-the-spurs-secret-weapon\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"In\u00edcio","item":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Athletic: How Gregg Popovich quietly became the Spurs\u2019 secret weapon"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/#website","url":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/","name":"Ubirat\u00e3 Online Not\u00edcias","description":"Not\u00edcias de Ubirat\u00e3, regi\u00e3o, Brasil e mundo, com informa\u00e7\u00e3o atualizada e compromisso com o leitor.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/#organization"},"alternateName":"Ubirat\u00e3 Online","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":["Organization","Place"],"@id":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/#organization","name":"Ubirat\u00e3 Online Not\u00edcias","alternateName":"Ubirat\u00e3 Online","url":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/","logo":{"@id":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/the-athletic-how-gregg-popovich-quietly-became-the-spurs-secret-weapon\/#local-main-organization-logo"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/the-athletic-how-gregg-popovich-quietly-became-the-spurs-secret-weapon\/#local-main-organization-logo"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/portalubirataonline","https:\/\/x.com\/ubirataonline","https:\/\/mastodon.social\/@ubirataonline","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/311144672285604","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UBTAOnline","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/portalubirataonline\/","https:\/\/twitter.com\/ubirataonline"],"description":"Somos um portal de not\u00edcias independente, criado em 5 de janeiro de 2009, com o objetivo de informar, conectar e valorizar a nossa comunidade de Ubirat\u00e3 e toda aregi\u00e3o. Com conte\u00fado atualizado, confi\u00e1vel e relevante, o Ubirat\u00e3 Online \u00e9 o seu espa\u00e7o para ficar por dentro dos principais acontecimentos locais, regionais, Brasil, Mundo e de interesse geral. Nosso compromisso \u00e9 com a verdade, a transpar\u00eancia e o respeito ao leitor.","legalName":"UBIRATA ONLINE NOT\u00cdCIAS","foundingDate":"2009-01-05","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"1","maxValue":"10"},"publishingPrinciples":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/faq\/","address":{"@id":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/the-athletic-how-gregg-popovich-quietly-became-the-spurs-secret-weapon\/#local-main-place-address"},"geo":{"@type":"GeoCoordinates","latitude":"-24.5361401","longitude":"-52.9921776"},"telephone":["+5544998308235"],"contactPoint":{"@type":"ContactPoint","email":"contato@ubirataonline.com.br"},"openingHoursSpecification":{"@type":"OpeningHoursSpecification","dayOfWeek":["Monday","Tuesday","Wednesday","Thursday","Friday","Saturday","Sunday"],"opens":"00:00","closes":"23:59"},"email":"contato@ubirataonline.com.br","vatID":"47.621.418\/0001-80"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/#\/schema\/person\/372f87bbd3fdd79b8556b84c98d0bc1c","name":"ubirataonline","url":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/en\/author\/ubirataonline\/"},{"@type":"PostalAddress","@id":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/the-athletic-how-gregg-popovich-quietly-became-the-spurs-secret-weapon\/#local-main-place-address","streetAddress":"Rua dos Coqueiros, 104 - Bairro Boa Vista, Rua dos Coqueiros, 104 Bairro Boa Vista","addressLocality":"UBIRATA","postalCode":"85440-000","addressRegion":"PR","addressCountry":"BR"},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/the-athletic-how-gregg-popovich-quietly-became-the-spurs-secret-weapon\/#local-main-organization-logo","url":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/logoubirataonline-1.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/logoubirataonline-1.webp","width":500,"height":500,"caption":"Ubirat\u00e3 Online Not\u00edcias"}]},"geo.placename":"UBIRATA","geo.position":{"lat":"-24.5361401","long":"-52.9921776"},"geo.region":"Brazil"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132153","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=132153"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132153\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/132154"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132153"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=132153"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=132153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}