Gregg Popovich Chastises Spurs Fans Booing Former Spurs Player Kawhi Leonard
San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich chastised the fans after booing the team’s former All-Star player Kawhi Leonard.
Popovich took hold of the microphone at the Frost Bank Center and reprimanded the crowd, urging them to cease booing Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers. Expressing his displeasure with the treatment Leonard was receiving while shooting free throws, Popovich addressed the fans, asking for an end to the booing.
“Excuse me for a second. Can we stop all the booing and let these guys play?” Popovich told fans while Leonard was bent over between free throws. “It’s got no class. It’s not who we are. Knock off the booing.”
He emphasized that such behavior lacked class and was not reflective of the community, urging the crowd to refrain from booing. Despite Popovich’s intervention, the boos resumed after a brief round of applause from some fans.
Leonard went on to score 24 points, contributing to the Clippers’ 109-102 victory over the San Antonio Spurs, who suffered their 10th consecutive loss. Based on the video, the booing had commenced when Leonard was at the free throw line following a foul by Spurs forward Keldon Johnson with 3:08 left in the first half.
Spurs fans have consistently jeered Leonard since he requested a trade and was traded from San Antonio to the Toronto Raptors on July 18, 2018. Having joined the Spurs in 2011 after being traded for on draft night with the No. 15 overall pick, Leonard spent seven seasons with San Antonio and played a crucial role in the team winning an NBA title in 2014.
However, his departure from the Spurs was marked by difficulties, including a limited appearance in nine games during the 2017-18 season due to a lingering quad injury. Disagreements between Leonard and the franchise on how to handle the injury strained their relationship, leading to his eventual trade to the Toronto Raptors, where he won an NBA championship before joining the Clippers in 2019.
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