Gregg Popovich waves Ahmad Rashad off the stage after cutting off Hall of Fame speech

Ahmad Rashad thought Gregg Popovich’s Corridor of Fame speech was ending, however the Spurs coach had different concepts.

After speaking for round 20 minutes, Popovich transitioned into the second cause why “I’m standing right here,” which centered round one phrase: “Duh.” 

And when he left the microphone and began shaking arms together with his former Spurs gamers on stage, Rashad — a former broad receiver and present sportscaster and host — appeared from the background whereas music performed on the Corridor of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony.

It appeared Popovich’s speech had concluded.

However Popovich had extra to say.

“I’ve been ready for this a very long time,” Popovich stated after waving Rashad away from the stage and returning to the microphone. “I’m not completed. I didn’t say, ‘Duh’ was the tip. I simply stated there’s one phrase to explain why I’m right here, and that’s, ‘Duh,’ these guys.”

Then, Popovich proceeded to spend the subsequent 5 minutes describing his relationships with Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, David Robinson and Manu Ginobili, who all sat beside him on the stage in Springfield, Mass.

He spoke in regards to the should be real as a coach, even with the stress to win alongside expertise, because the gamers have nice “bulls–t antennae” — they usually’d simply gauge if Popovich wasn’t being himself.

Popovich added that he had an settlement with Robinson that if he didn’t “take the title of the Lord in useless,” the star middle would tolerate the coach.

With Parker, Popovich needed perfection — which was troublesome for the 19-year-old level guard when he arrived in San Antonio — and “can be in handcuffs” if he coached a participant the identical manner right now he joked.

Popovich simply needed some acknowledgement from Duncan at occasions, some type of “self-satisfaction” or nodding of the pinnacle to make Popovich assume his teaching resonated with the star, he joked as Duncan nodded his head on the stage.

And Popovich’s relationship with Ginobili blossomed as soon as he discovered “ zip it and simply let him play.”

“Everyone is aware of the Os and Xs,” Popovich stated. “It’s not mind science. Like, when’s the final time you had a brand new pick-and-roll play. It’s all the identical rattling stuff. Jerry Sloan ran the identical play 77 occasions in a row and no person might beat Karl [Malone] and John [Stockton], in order that’s all baloney. It’s about relationships.”

Popovich, who has received 5 NBA titles and 1,536 common season and playoff video games, was inducted into the Corridor of Fame on Saturday alongside others similar to Parker, Pau Gasol, Dwayne Wade and Becky Harman.

Within the upcoming 2023-24 marketing campaign, Popovich, 74, will have the next opportunity so as to add to his legacy when the Spurs function No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama — who turns into the newest French star to play underneath Popovich in San Antonio — and goal for his or her postseason look since 2018-19.