The San Antonio Spurs’ “Pounding the Rock” culture is having a moment.
In the recent 60 Minutes profile, Victor Wembanyama praised Gregg Popovich as “the greatest coach of all-time” and called the Spurs “a winner’s franchise.”
The reasons for Wemby’s celebratory fist pump during the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery are rooted in the Spurs’ culture. And the hits just keep on coming this week …
The latest episode of the Run It Back podcast featured Stan Van Gundy talking about the quiet strength and character of the Spurs’ culture during a conversation about the Miami Heat’s early season struggles.
Former all-star guard Mike Bibby also drew a contrast between the Spurs and his old Sacramento Kings team on a new episode of the Straight Game Podcast. At the tail end of his career, Bibby wasn’t allowed around the Kings team and facility without jumping through hoops and getting approvals.
The Spurs, meanwhile, welcomed Bibby and his friends with open arms – even offering a free ride on the team plane. Co-host Kyle Draper chimed in by describing the inclusive “family” nature of Spurs’ team dinners while Ty Ellis said “that word travels” around the league.
This week also saw a clip of Steve Kerr discussing Popovich’s direct, but compassionate, way of delivering bad news. Kerr said he’s tried to model that example in his successful coaching career.
And fast forwarding to today, a lengthy ESPN article by Michael C. Wright identified Devin Vassell as one of the modern embodiments of the Spurs’ selfless culture.
Vassell said, “I don’t worry about the headlines. I don’t worry about points. It’s just a matter of how I can impact the team.”
