“Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili will catch more hell from me than anybody else” – Gregg Popovich revealed the secret to legendary Spurs culture originally appeared on Basketball Network.
Gregg Popovich was renowned for his disciplined and meticulous approach, both as an assistant coach and later as head coach. Under his watch, there were no sacrificial cows, no exceptions to the rules. No one was immune to his high standards and unwavering expectations, not even the biggest stars on the team.
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To drive the point home, Popovich explained how he maintained discipline within the San Antonio Spurs by holding even their top players — Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili — accountable. He emphasized that he never hesitated to call them out for their mistakes publicly, setting a standard for the entire team.
Pop did it on purpose
It wasn’t that Popovich liked to pick on his three superstars; he trusted them enough to react the right way every time he got on them for messing up in practice. Critiquing the team’s most established players sent a clear message to everyone wearing the Silver and Black: no one was above criticism and hard work, no matter how talented or accomplished they may be.
“When we run drills, I’ll purposely get on the big boys the most. Duncan, Parker and Manu Ginobili will catch more hell from me than anybody else out there,” Pop shared.
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“You know the obvious effect of that. If you do that and they respond in the right way, everyone else follows suit,” he continued. “The worst thing you can do is let it go when someone has been egregious in some sort of way. The young kids see that and you lose respect and the fiber of your team gets frayed a bit.”
The proof is in the pudding. With Popovich at the helm and his stars espousing the virtues of unselfishness and accountability, the Spurs won five championships and were considered title contenders every season. Although the team experienced some friction with the Kawhi Leonard saga, it was quickly resolved, and the Spurs continued to thrive under Pop’s leadership.
It begins with choosing the right players
While the culture Popovich has cultivated within the organization has a significant impact on how well the team performs, it all starts with selecting the right players.
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The legendary coach and his staff have always carefully evaluated not only a player’s skill on the court but also their character and how they will fit into the team dynamic. This way, they have never had to deal with the headache of dealing with toxic individuals and could always focus on winning games as a cohesive unit.
“I go to bed every night and I don’t worry about anybody on my team. I don’t come to work in the morning and say, ‘Ah, jeez, I’m going to have to clean this mess up.’ It doesn’t happen,” he said.
“Everybody else spends half their time cleaning up everything or trying to convince themselves that this guy and that guy get along and blah blah blah. When people ask me how I do it, I just think it’s total logic. You don’t have to be smart. I realize it’s not easy but a lot of guys don’t get it When they have problems I say, ‘You did it to yourself.’ There are no problems if a team does the work ahead of time and uses character as a ‘true’ component of selection,” Popovich concluded.
The Spurs have long been regarded as one of the most well-managed franchises in league history, a testament to Popovich’s meticulous approach in selecting individuals who align with their close-knit culture.
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This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 11, 2025, where it first appeared.