The San Antonio Spurs have been a beacon of globalized culture in the NBA. The reputation of scouting and signing international players more than any other franchise precedes them.
That effort in the basketball side of things is mirrored elsewhere. Under coach Gregg Popovich, the Spurs have also been one of the most socially-aware teams in the league. Just recently, Pop gave an eloquent and nuanced answer when asked about recent protests by athletes (namely Colin Kaepernick) during the national anthem.
Popovich has attempted to transfer his own clear wisdom on such issues to his players, understanding the importance of being well-rounded and aware of the issues that plague the entire world.
The Spurs’ head coach is ramping up that goal even more this season. With the presidential election around the corner and athletes and leagues alike becoming more conspicuous with their social and political views, Pop is making sure his players are knowledgeable.
That’s why, as Popovich told Ben Cohen of the Wall Street Journal, he plans to track which Spurs are the most informed about the world:
Popovich has been quizzing the Spurs on current events and world history for years. Now he wants them to engage more than ever. So this season, for the first time, he also plans to track which players know the most about everything other than basketball.
“What’s cool is that everybody looks at that person, like: How do you know that?” Popovich said. “Then you walk away and you watch and two or three guys are talking over here and two or three are talking over there. Or if I say something about Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump or the political system, they talk about it. It brings them together. There’s a purpose to it—and it’s fun for me.”
The whole piece by Cohen is fantastic and you should absolutely spend a few minutes reading it. The passion that Gregg Popovich has for branching out of basketball and the passion he has for informing others of the importance of doing that is inspiring, to say the least. Pop is at the forefront of the most progressive league in sports. He deserves a ton of credit for that.
