De’Aaron Fox was a member of the San Antonio Spurs for more than three weeks before he had his first in-person meeting with new head coach Gregg Popovich because the Hall of Famer has been away from the team since November after suffering a stroke.
On Feb. 27, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Popovich held “an emotional in-person meeting” with all Spurs players.
In a new story about the 76-year-old coach’s recovery and quest to get back on the sidelines, Fox told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Michael C. Wright the meeting was “much bigger than basketball” because it’s about someone’s life:
“It’s an inspiration. Going through the things that he’s going through, and him trying to fight back just to be out there. It is a testament to who he is as a person and you can tell that he really wants to be back out there. … It would go from serious to laughing back to serious and laughing. But he knows how to keep people engaged, and I think that’s why he’s been able to do what he does for so long. Obviously, we want him to be as healthy as possible. But I would love to be coached by Pop, for sure.”
Popovich announced at the meeting he would not be returning to coach the Spurs this season, but he would continue to focus on his rehab with the goal of being back on the sidelines for the 2025-26 season.
Fox’s sentiment was one shared by other Spurs players. Keldon Johnson described Popovich as still coaching them even as he continues to recover:
“Everybody shut the f–k up when he walked in. That’s just how it’s always been with Pop. Obviously, he’s still recovering. But he was still cussing. ‘Y’all need to play defense. Y’all need to rebound.’ Knowing that, s—, he really is watching the games because he’s calling out specific situations, was huge. It was what we needed. I feel like he brought that life, that spark. That Pop that we all knew and loved. He came into that meeting and that’s who he was. It was like he didn’t skip a beat.”
Shelburne and Wright did note Popovich cautioned that he might not return because he would be doing the organization a disservice if he was at less than 100 percent.
Fox and Popovich crossed paths many times in the past since the Kentucky product entered the NBA after being selected with the No. 5 pick in the 2017 draft, but they had been on opposing sides for eight years.
The Spurs acquired Fox from the Sacramento Kings in a three-team trade on Feb. 3. His preference was to join San Antonio even before the deal came together for the opportunity to play alongside Victor Wembanyama.
Things have fallen apart for the Spurs since the trade, though. Wembanyama was ruled out for the season on Feb. 20 due to a blood clot in his right shoulder. The team is optimistic about his long-term prognosis and readiness for next season.
Fox is set to undergo season-ending surgery to repair a tendon in his left finger.
Even though this season is ending on a down note for the Spurs, their future looks incredibly bright with the tandem of Fox and Wembanyama playing together.
If Popovich is able to return to work with that duo, it only increases the optimism for the Spurs going into next season.
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