Spurs feel like they lost family member
SAN ANTONIO — One of the most emotional days in Spurs history began with the two players closest to Gregg Popovich struggling to maintain their composure while reacting to the death of the head coach’s wife, Erin.
“We’re all devastated. We’re all hurting,” Manu Ginobili said Thursday morning after the team completed preparations for Game 3 of its firstround playoff series with Golden State without Popovich, who turned over the team to top assistant Ettore Messina. “We want to be next to Pop. We want to support him. … Not having him here today, it’s hard.”
“It’s very emotional,” Tony Parker said. “She was a great lady.”
Erin Popovich, 67, died Wednesday. Though the Spurs did not release the cause of death, she had been dealing with health problems, including a respiratory ailment, since the mid-1990s.
Although her health problems prevented the public from getting to know her, members of the Spurs’ family fondly recalled a warm, kind soul.
“We’ve all suffered a profound loss,” said general manager R.C. Buford, who also described Erin as “strong, wonderful, intelligent and possessing a great sense of humor.”
“Erin was really an important member of our family and our team,” Buford said. “Erin and Gregg were best friends who were together for 40 years. Erin’s impact and influence on our organization, on our players, on their families will be felt for years to come.”
Parker recalled how he viewed Erin as a “mom” after he joined the Spurs at age 19 in 2001. “Very caring,” he said. “She showed a lot of love. She was unbelievable.” Parker spent time with Popovich at his home Wednesday night. “To be with him last night at his house, to share those moments with his family, it was very emotional,” Parker said.
News of Erin’s death sparked an outpouring of sympathy and support from all corners of the NBA, including Hall of Famer Bill Russell, and from some of Gregg Popovich’s famous friends, including former President Bill Clinton, who tweeted his condolences Wednesday night: “Coach Popovich — I join the NBA family and countless fans across the country who are thinking of you, Jill and Micky (their children) tonight as you mourn the loss of your Erin.”
Spurs fans on the South Side visited a recently completed mural of Gregg Popovich by graffiti artist Nik Soupe at Rudy’s Seafood to show their support for the head coach.
Said District 3 Councilwoman Rebecca Viagran in an Instagram post in which she captioned a photo of the mural, “We're standing with you coach pop and your family. peace and prayers. Sending love.”
Buford said Popovich told him he is “overwhelmed by the support.”
“He’s very appreciative of the love that’s been shared with our group, and with him and his family and Erin’s family,” Buford said. “As you’d expect from Pop, he wants our focus to be about the game today, about this series.”