Don’t let him fool you with his gruffness; Gregg Popovich is a cuddly teddy bear, and given the opportunity to deliver some great news to his former assistant coach, Pop was more than happy to oblige:
Mike Budenholzer learned he was Coach of the Year from noted sweetheart Gregg Popovich
Stephen Dunn/Getty Images
The Hawks organization, upon finding out from NBA about the award, called Popovich to ask him if he wanted to break the news to Bud. He did.
— Jaryd Hawks (@JarydWilson) April 21, 2015 That’s wonderful, though don’t expect Pop to be so nice if the Spurs and Hawks end up meeting in the Finals.
In the meantime, you can watch Budenholzer’s lovely acceptance speech, including a Pop shoutout, here:
