Wembanyama turns – After the San Antonio Spurs won the Western Conference title and booked a spot in the NBA Finals against the New York Knicks, Victor Wembanyama couldn’t help but look toward El Jefe, former coach Gregg Popovich—whose stroke ended his coaching career but hasn’t
SAN ANTONIO — Victor Wembanyama barely could get the words out.
The question. a few minutes after he and the San Antonio Spurs won the Western Conference title and earned the right to go to this year’s NBA Finals to face the New York Knicks. was about his relationship with former coach Gregg Popovich and what this playoff run likely means to the winningest coach in league history.
Wembanyama paused, clearly emotional, before answering. “I don’t know what it means for him,” he said. “That’s a guy who’s got more experience as a coach than almost anybody and has been through so many things in his career and so many things right now as ‘El Jefe.’ He goes through some things we can’t even imagine. So, I need to call him. I need to see him. I need to talk to him because there’s no way I can understand right now how he feels.”.
Popovich’s official title is President of Spurs Basketball. Unofficially. the Basketball Hall of Famer may as well be coach emeritus — still regularly seen at practices in San Antonio. still seen at games. sometimes walking with the assistance of a cane. He’s still in the ears of players and coaches. and the impact is visible: after the Spurs lost Game 3 of the West finals to Oklahoma City. Popovich visited the locker room for what was described as both a pep talk and a chewing out. depending on perspective.
But it’s bigger than a title. “El Jefe” is the role, the boss, the voice. When Popovich retired last year. he announced himself as “El Jefe” during a public appearance and. in a jacket. opened it to show a shirt with “El Jefe” on the front. That retirement came after a stroke in November 2024 that essentially ended his coaching career. Still, the Spurs keep going to him.
Spurs guard Devin Vassell spoke about that presence with the kind of certainty only players get from daily contact. “You talk about the greatest coach pretty much of all time to be able to sit here and tell you the experiences that they went through or that he’s been through or that he sees. ” Vassell said. “I mean, it’s second to none, honestly. He helps out. He helps out a lot. … He just has so much wisdom and stuff that you can’t take for granted.”.
Wembanyama’s emotional focus on Popovich landed for a reason: the Finals opponent is a team that knows him well. too. Knicks coach Mike Brown spent three years as an assistant coach under Popovich in San Antonio. so he has seen first-hand how the Spurs operate. Brown still has family members living in San Antonio. and he joked a few days ago that an NBA Finals matchup between the Knicks and Spurs would save him money because he wouldn’t have to fly as many people in to see games.
“He still has a huge presence. He will always have a presence,” Brown said of Popovich. “The job that he’s done. not only on the court with that team or that organization but off the court too. is going to be imprinted for as long as the game of basketball exists. His presence is very. very much felt all the time and I’ve got a lot of respect for the organization for a lot of different reasons.”.
Popovich’s impact hasn’t been limited to speeches or symbolic visits. Cameras caught him meeting the Spurs at the airport after they flew home from Games 3 and 4 of their West semifinal series against Minnesota a couple weeks ago. There was a specific reason for that stop. Wembanyama had been ejected from Game 4 for a flagrant elbow he threw at Timberwolves forward Naz Reid. and when Wembanyama got off the plane. Popovich was waiting — with it clear on camera that Popovich was doing the talking and Wembanyama was doing the listening.
“He gives feedback and talks to us regularly,” Wembanyama said, without disclosing what Popovich’s message was that afternoon.
Popovich has also been there in the late hours. He was at the airport in the wee hours of Sunday morning when the Spurs returned home from Oklahoma City, after a night in which thousands of fans, both there and in the city’s streets, celebrated the win.
Popovich’s legacy in San Antonio is measured in titles: he won five NBA championships as the Spurs’ coach. with the first coming in 1999 when San Antonio beat the Knicks. Now. with the next era fully underway under Mitch Johnson. the coincidence feels sharp — Johnson’s first Finals as Spurs coach is against the Knicks.
“I’m fortunate my old boss is still around, and has been through this a few times,” Johnson said. “Coach Pop has been a resource.”
For Wembanyama, the Finals berth isn’t the end of anything. It’s the moment he’s expected to pass back what he’s absorbed. After the Spurs’ biggest win yet — the one that got them to their first Finals under Johnson — Wembanyama said he couldn’t wait to speak with Popovich.
“When I talk to him, it’s going to be only stored in my head — except if I record it in secret,” Wembanyama said. “But I need to talk to him, so quick.”
Game 1 of the Knicks-Spurs series is Wednesday in San Antonio.
There are more lessons to learn. There are four more wins to get. And Wembanyama made it plain: if anyone knows the path to those wins, it’s El Jefe.
MISRYOUM Sports News NBA Finals San Antonio Spurs New York Knicks Victor Wembanyama Gregg Popovich El Jefe Devin Vassell Mike Brown Mitch Johnson Western Conference title