One of the great sports duos of the 21st century may not be together at the NBA level, but the days of Gregg Popovich and Tim Duncan sharing a sideline together are far from over.
Apparently, Popovich’s 5-year-old grandson is a teammate of Duncan’s daughter in their youth basketball program. San Antonio Express-News reporter Mike Finger tweeted out this information, sharing that not only do they play on the same team, but that Popovich’s grandson had a major milestone:
He picked up his first technical foul.
As Popovich retells it, the kid deserved the T.
“I don’t know if it’s in the blood, but it’s true. … The guy stole the ball from him, and he tackled him,” Popovich explained to the reporter.
Gregg Popovich reports that his 5-year-old grandson, a teammate of Tim Duncan's daughter, just received his first career technical foul.
"I don't know if it's in the blood, but it's true. … The guy stole the ball from him, and he tackled him."
— Mike Finger (@mikefinger) March 10, 2024
The San Antonio Spurs head coach is no stranger to technical fouls. It’s unclear how many exactly he has racked up over his 28 years as head coach, but a quick YouTube search will give you an idea of some memorable ones. He also holds the distinction of the fastest-ever ejection, being kicked out 63 seconds into a 2019 game against the Denver Nuggets after he complained about a non-call, called a timeout, and then continued to argue with the referee.
It only took 1:03 for Spurs HC Gregg Popovich to be ejected from tonight’s game in Denver. pic.twitter.com/rocXz4kH4X
— Grind City Media (@grindcitymedia) April 4, 2019
We’ve never seen him go as far as his grandson and tackle a ref, though.
Learning that two kids in the bloodline of Popovich and Duncan share a court is a scary thought, and not just for opponents. Imagine being the coach of a team in which you are in charge of relatives of two of the best basketball minds of all time. Talk about a pressure-filled scenario.
