Gregg Popovich Visited Wemby, Spurs After Game 1 Loss vs. Wolves, Legendary HC's Message Revealed

Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs received a message from legendary former head coach Gregg Popovich after losing Game 1 of the team's second-round playoff matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

"After the Spurs' Game 1 loss, a lot of attention quickly shifted to a film session," NBA on Prime's Allie Clifton reported Friday (0:03 mark). "A film session where the great Gregg Popovich imparted his wisdom on the young Spurs squad. Harrison Barnes telling me this morning, Pop's message centered on two things. First, quieting the outside noise. And number two, what can he do today? What tangible things can the team clean up? Everything else, Pop says, is secondary."

The Spurs suffered a 104-102 upset loss against the Timberwolves in their series-opening clash, but cruised to a 133-95 victory in Game 2 following the meeting with Popovich.

The NBA's all-time leader in coaching victories spent 29 seasons patrolling the sideline for San Antonio, helping the team capture five championships.

Popovich suffered a stroke in Nov. 2024 and later took a leave of absence from the Spurs, eventually transitioning to a full-time role as the team's president of basketball operations in May 2025.

Mitch Johnson, Popovich's former assistant, now serves as San Antonio's head coach.

While the Spurs were in danger of falling into a 2-0 series deficit at home, they were able to wrap up a lopsided win with some assistance from their old coach.