San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has halted an NBA game to shut down his own team’s fans for jeering one of their former champions.
Kawhi Leonard was at the free-throw line in the second quarter of the Los Angeles Clippers’ visit to San Antonio when the bizarre scene unfolded.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Popovich halts game to blast his own fans.
Watch the latest sport on Channel 7 or stream for free on 7plus >>
Audible boos had rained down throughout the game in a bid to put off the two-time Finals MVP.
And by the time Leonard stepped up to the line Popovich, a basketball lifer who has coached the Spurs since 1996, had heard enough.
The 74-year-old stepped over to the bench and grabbed a microphone.
“Excuse me for a second,” he began.
“Can we stop all the booing and let these guys play? It’s got no class, it’s not who we are. Knock off the booing.”
Popovich is respected perhaps more than anyone else in the NBA but even he couldn’t stop his own fans.
The crowd booed again immediately and refused to heed his warning.
Spurs fans’ frustrations with Leonard stem from his awkward final season with the franchise.
Troubled by a quad injury, he was given the green light to return by team doctors but refused to make himself available.
He was traded to the Toronto Raptors with one year left on his contract – and immediately lifted the Canadian outfit to their first ever title.
Leonard subsequently signed with the Clippers and has since endured similar injury troubles where he regularly sits out games.
He played a total of 86 games in his last season with San Antonio and 84 in his stint with Toronto but never more than 70 with Los Angeles.
If you’d like to view this content, please adjust your .
To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide.