National Basketball Association

Gregg Popovich grabs microphone mid-game, tells Spurs fans not to boo Kawhi Leonard

Updated Nov. 27, 2023 1:42 p.m. ET

Spurs fans are not very fond of Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard.

The five-time All-Star had an impressive stint with San Antonio, spending seven successful seasons with that netted him two championship rings. But Leonard's departure from San Antonio was not an amicable one, and several Spurs fans became cold toward him after he asked out of the city following a tumultuous downturn.

Spurs nation has consistently booed Leonard in his multiple returns to the Frost Bank Center, and it kept the trend going Wednesday night. But Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich went out of his way to quell the onslaught of jeers, grabbing a loose microphone and vocally instructing the fanbase to turn down the heat.

"Can we please stop all the booing and let these guys play?" Popovich asked after Leonard took a free throw with 3:03 to play in the second quarter. "That's not who we are."

But they didn't listen, and they upped the ante on the boos as Leonard took his second.

Popovich has long been known to look out for his players, both current and former. But it may take a while for the Spurs faithful to warm up to their former superstar.

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