By Jared Weiss | The Athletic, 2026-05-14 09:30:48
《The Athletic》为您现场报道马刺对阵森林狼的2026年NBA西部半决赛第六场。
圣安东尼奥——德文·瓦塞尔 (Devin Vassell) 迫不及待地想听听“老大 (El Jefe)”会说些什么。他坐在球馆东南角的讲台前，但目光能一直穿过房间，看到他曾经的主帅、如今的导师。那是一个满头银发的身影，在远处像一个小点，拄着长拐杖，带着一丝不易察觉的微笑。
25 岁的侧翼球员瓦塞尔已经成为这支年轻马刺队的老将之一，他是一个总能保持冷静的定海神针。他在球馆里走动时，流露出一种射手特有的气场——仿佛每一次出手都能命中。虽然事实并非总是如此，但这并不会改变他的心态。
当你身边有这样一位 NBA 历史胜场数第一的主帅不断为你注入信心时，保持这种心态就变得容易多了。
瓦塞尔知道，只要他走过去，格雷格·波波维奇 (Gregg Popovich) 就会有话直说，给他一些智慧箴言，让他重新感觉到自己站在世界之巅。
“归根结底，他总会给你反馈，他告诉你的总是事实和真话，”瓦塞尔说道，“这正是你需要的，因为身边可能会有很多废话。但你需要听到真相，需要了解到底发生了什么，而他肯定会做到这一点。”
这是本赛季所有接受过波波维奇指导的马刺球员的共同感受。去年波波维奇从教练岗位退休后，开启了这一新角色。现任主帅米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson) 在 2024 年 11 月波波维奇中风后临危受命，担任临时主帅。赛季结束后，波波维奇召开新闻发布会，宣布将不再担任主教练，并承担起“El Jefe”（西班牙语，意为“老大”）的新角色，当时他还穿着一件印有这个词的衬衫。他的正式头衔是篮球运营总裁，但他的职责似乎更侧重于为他的继任者约翰逊以及更衣室里的每一个人提供幕后支持和指导。
“他这一整年都发挥了重要作用，”新秀卡特·布莱恩特 (Carter Bryant) 告诉《The Athletic》，“这太不可思议了。不是每个人都能让史上最伟大的教练就这样坐在你身边指导。我只是尽可能多地汲取他的智慧。”
20 岁的布莱恩特表现出色，在一支拥有 62 胜的争冠球队中站稳了轮换位置，并随队征战季后赛深处，他经常能从 2015 年 NBA 总冠军得主哈里森·巴恩斯 (Harrison Barnes) 手中赢得登场机会。布莱恩特从未在波波维奇麾下打过球，直到去年秋天才见到他。但他很快就向这位传奇教练寻求资源，而“老大”对他而言，不仅是资源，更是更多。
“有时候他在赛后给我打电话太快了，我们还在更衣室里，我都接不了，”布莱恩特说，“他几乎每场比赛后都会给我发短信。我大概每周会和他通三次电话。”
布莱恩特并非个例。在球队内部，波波维奇整个赛季都在与每位球员建立或维持关系，这早已是公开的秘密。他每天都会和马刺效力时间最长的球员凯尔登·约翰逊 (Keldon Johnson) 交流。二年级后卫斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle) 也经常向波波维奇寻求建议，并请教如何应对赛季中的种种挑战。无论他们是为波波维奇效力了七年还是七天，他都全心全意地关注着他们。
赛季期间，波波维奇偶尔会在媒体开放时段出现在训练场，在他曾经执教的场地旁侃侃而谈。他会坐在那里观察，球员们会一个接一个地走过来听取简报。他经常把手搭在他们的肩膀上，坐在位子上演示一些战术技巧，有时还会走动一下，向站在场边的球员或教练交代几句。
最近，波波维奇开始更多地从幕后走向台前。球员们已经预料到，只要他们在圣安东尼奥，任何时候去上班，波波维奇都可能在那里。马刺队 CEO RC·布福德 (RC Buford) 表示，波波维奇每周至少有四天在球馆进行中风后的康复训练，经常会有蒂姆·邓肯 (Tim Duncan) 或其他回城的马刺传奇球星陪同。
“这就是为什么在波波的中风康复过程中，蒂姆每天都和他一起在球馆里，这并不是因为波波要求他去，”布福德上个月告诉《The Athletic》，“而是因为蒂姆感受到了一种情感连接，他想以波波曾经支持他的方式来支持波波。只要大家回城，都会去那里。”
甚至当马刺队的飞机降落时，也能感受到波波维奇的存在。本周早些时候，有人看到波波维奇在谈论维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) ——当时球队飞机刚刚降落，这位马刺球星在对阵明尼苏达森林狼队的次轮系列赛第四场中，因肘击纳兹·里德 (Naz Reid) 颈部被驱逐出场。
“他出现在那里，也许是想表达一种态度，或者让他的话更有影响力，”文班亚马说，“他在整个系列赛、整个比赛过程中都会定期给我们反馈并与我们交流。一如既往，当他开口时，所有人都会倾听。”
但这绝非偶然。波波维奇整个赛季曾多次在跑道旁等候。
“我们知道他的车长什么样。所以当我们看到他的车，就知道他在那里，”替补控卫乔丹·麦克劳林 (Jordan McLaughlin) 说道，“知道他就在我们身后支持并关注着我们，这种感觉很好。”
约翰逊和他的教练组在日常运营中保持着自主权。这是他们的球队，而波波是在那里提供支持。波波维奇偶尔会参加教练组会议，随着年轻的马刺队开始向总冠军发起冲击，这种频率也越来越高。在次轮系列赛早些时候的一次训练后的录像课上，波波维奇是第一个从录像室附近走出来的人。瓦塞尔表示，波波维奇在那次录像课上提供了很多帮助。
“他就在那儿看录像。他热爱篮球，”麦克劳林说，“只要有机会，他就会在身边。”
但他的影响力主要体现在个人层面，帮助像瓦塞尔和布莱恩特这样的球员在看清大局的同时找到专注点。
“我认为这是一件大事，尊重比赛，不要把这一切视为理所当然，”瓦塞尔说，“在生活方面，他也教了我很多场外的事情，无论是家庭还是回馈社区，他总是把这些放在首位，我为此非常感激他。”
波波维奇在教练与球员的沟通渠道中扮演着独特的角色。每位球员都分配有一名负责其发展的助理教练，负责协调和执行所有场上训练和录像研究。助教负责管理球员的情绪和准备情况，帮助他们应对赛季的挑战。然后是核心助教，比如副主教练肖恩·斯威尼 (Sean Sweeney)，他们通常扮演更平衡的角色，协调比赛计划策略，与主教练一起做出大局决策，同时与球员保持接触。前排助教往往也有他们主要负责的球员，尽管他们的职责分配得更广。
主教练，比如现在的约翰逊，必须在对球队整体做出所有微观和宏观决策的同时，与阵容中的每个人维持关系。主教练为每个球员设定优先事项的基调。伟大的主教练能够在承担所有这些职责的同时，让球员感觉到彼此之间仍保持着亲密的关系。
“老大”这一角色让波波维奇能够填补整体流程中的一些空白，范围从具体的场上指导到提供关于心态的宏观视角。
“他在为你注入生命力，”布莱恩特说，“很多时候，有些话你需要从不同的人口中听到。有时候，当这些话不是来自那个一年 82 场比赛都在你耳边唠叨的声音时，反而更能让你开窍。”
格雷格·波波维奇向德文·瓦塞尔面授机宜。多名马刺球员表示，波波维奇的建议对他们的成功至关重要。（图源：Ronald Cortes / Getty Images）
球队传奇人物远距离参与球员事务并不罕见。在波士顿，已故的名人堂教练兼球员汤米·海因索恩 (Tommy Heinsohn) 会在艰难的失利后出现在更衣室，与凯尔特人的核心球员交谈。有些球队会让前任教练担任高级顾问，继续不时提供指导。波波维奇似乎正在将“老大”这一角色转变为他自己的版本，展示他建立球员关系的标志性能力，同时由于不再负责管理整个项目，他也稍微松了松油门。
“这很有趣，因为你听过关于他对球员很严厉的故事，显然，他不是我的主教练，所以我没有那种经历，”布莱恩特说，“但我心想，‘你们在说什么呢？’这家伙是全世界最贴心、最友善的人。他太酷了。”
在波波维奇的支持下，布莱恩特表示，季后赛对他来说实际上比赛季初期更轻松。为了赢得登场时间而必须表现的压力产生了他所谓的“不必要的压力”，这夺走了他打球的乐趣。然后，波波打电话告诉他要打得自由，享受乐趣。
“归根结底，当你思考这些时，你会感激自己拥有健康，感激每天醒来，感激能在生活中拥有这一切，”布莱恩特说，“篮球终究只是篮球。”
现在，布莱恩特和这支年轻马刺队的其他成员一样，正打得自由自在，享受其中。马刺队本赛季超出了所有人的预期，这在很大程度上要归功于约翰逊和他的教练组贡献了联盟顶级的执教表现。但管理一支球队需要众人的努力，而“老大”一直在尽自己的一份力。
随着马刺队距离在西部决赛中对阵俄克拉荷马城雷霆队仅差一场胜利，布莱恩特将扮演自己的角色，无论大小。
无论发生什么，他都得赶快跑回更衣室，因为他知道他的电话一定会响起。
由生成式 AI 翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
点击查看原文：How Gregg Popovich quietly became the Spurs' secret weapon: 'He's speaking life into you'
How Gregg Popovich quietly became the Spurs’ secret weapon: ‘He’s speaking life into you’
The Athletic has live coverage of Spurs vs. Timberwolves from Game 6 of the 2026 NBA Western Conference Semifinals.
SAN ANTONIO — Devin Vassell can’t wait to hear what El Jefe has to say. He’s sitting at a podium in the southeast corner of the gym but can see his former coach and current mentor all the way across the room. A little white head of hair, a dot in the distance, with a long cane and an undercover smile.
Vassell, the 25-year-old wing, has become one of the vets of this young Spurs team, a steady hand who always keeps his cool. He walks around the building with the demeanor of a shooter who knows it’s going down every time. It won’t, but that doesn’t change a thing.
It’s easy to think that way when he has the NBA’s all-time winningest coach pumping confidence into him.
Vassell knows when he goes over there, Gregg Popovich is going to keep it real, give him some nuggets of wisdom and have him feeling back on top of the world.
“At the end of the day, he’s always giving you feedback, and he’s telling you the truth and honesty,” Vassell said. “That’s what you need to hear because it’s a lot of BS that might go around. But you need to hear the truth, you need to hear what’s going on, and he’ll do that for sure.”
It’s a common theme from everyone on the Spurs who has been mentored by Popovich this season in his new role after he retired from coaching last year. Current coach Mitch Johnson stepped in on an interim basis in November 2024 after Popovich suffered a stroke. After the season, Popovich held a news conference where he announced that he would step away from coaching and take on the new role of “El Jefe” (Spanish for “The Boss”), wearing a shirt that said as much. He is formally listed as the president of basketball operations, but his role appears to be focused on providing behind-the-scenes support and guidance to Johnson, his successor, and everyone in the locker room.
“He’s been a big part of this whole year,” rookie Carter Bryant told The Athletic. “It’s been amazing. Not everybody has the greatest coach of all time just kind of sitting there in their laps. I just try to take it up as much as I can.”
The 20-year-old Bryant has played well enough to hold down a rotation spot for a 62-win contender deep into the postseason, often earning his spot over Harrison Barnes, an NBA champion in 2015. Bryant never played for Pop and just met him back in the fall. But he quickly sought out the coaching legend as a resource, and El Jefe has been that and more for him.
“Sometimes he calls me so fast after the game that we’re still in the locker room and I can’t even answer it,” Bryant said. “He texts me damn near after every game. I probably talk to him on the phone three times a week.”
Bryant is not alone. It was an open secret within the team that Popovich was forging or maintaining relationships with each player all season long. He talks to Keldon Johnson, the longest-tenured Spurs player, every day. Second-year guard Steph Castle leans on Popovich often for advice and help navigating the season. Whether they played for Popovich for seven years or seven days, he’s been locked in for them.
During the season, Popovich would poke his head out at practice once in a blue moon while the media were present, holding court by what used to be his court. He would sit and observe as players would come over, one by one, for a debriefing. He’d often put his hand on their shoulder, demonstrate some sort of X’s-and-O’s tip from his seat and sometimes walk around to say something to players or coaches standing on the sidelines.
Recently, Popovich has started to emerge more from the shadows. The players have come to expect that when they’re in San Antonio, any time they show up to work, Popovich may be there. Spurs CEO RC Buford said Popovich was in the gym at least four times a week rehabbing from his stroke, often with Tim Duncan or other Spurs legends visiting town.
“It’s the reason why, with Pop’s stroke rehabilitation, Tim’s in the gym with him every day, and that’s not because Pop is telling him to be there,” Buford told The Athletic last month. “It’s because Tim feels the emotional connection to want to be there in the ways that Pop was there for him. Anytime people are in town, they’ll be in there.”
Even when the Spurs land, Popovich’s presence is felt. Earlier this week, Popovich was spotted talking to Victor Wembanyama when the team plane landed after the Spurs’ star was ejected from Game 4 of their second-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves for elbowing Naz Reid in the neck.
“He maybe wanted to make a statement, or make his talking even more impactful, by being there,” Wembanyama said. “He gives feedback and talks to us regularly throughout our series, throughout our games. As always, when he speaks, everybody listens.”
But this was far from a one-off thing. Popovich has been waiting by the runway multiple times throughout the season.
“We know what his car looks like. So when we see his car, we know he’s there,” reserve point guard Jordan McLaughlin said. “It’s nice to know he’s in our corner and always watching us.”
Johnson and his staff maintain autonomy over the day-to-day operations. It’s their team, and Pop is there for support. Popovich sits in with the coaching staff from time to time, more frequently as the young Spurs embark on a run at the championship. When the Spurs were in a film session following a practice earlier in this second-round series, Popovich was the first person to emerge from the vicinity of the film room. Vassell said Popovich helped out a lot in that film session.
“He was just there watching film. He loves basketball,” McLaughlin said. “He’s around anytime he can be.”
But he’s mostly carried out his impact at an individual level, helping players such as Vassell and Bryant find their focus while seeing the bigger picture.
“I think that’s one big thing, respecting the game and not taking any of this for granted,” Vassell said. “And just with life, he’s taught me so much stuff off the court, whether it’s family or giving back in the community, he’s always had that at his forefront, and I appreciate him for that.”
Popovich plays a distinct role in the coach-to-player communication pipeline. Each player has an assistant coach assigned to him for his development, which includes coordinating and executing all on-court training and film study. The assistants are responsible for managing the players’ emotions and preparedness, helping them navigate the challenges of the season. Then there are the core assistant coaches, such as associate head coach Sean Sweeney, who typically play a more balanced role of coordinating game-plan strategy, making big-picture decisions with the head coach while maintaining touchpoints with the players. Front-bench assistants tend to have players for whom they are the primary coaches as well, though their duties are split more broadly.
A head coach, such as Johnson now, must maintain their own relationships with everyone on the roster while making all of the micro and macro decisions about what the team will do as a whole. Head coaches set the tone for priorities for each player. Great head coaches are able to make the players feel as if there is still a close relationship amid all of those responsibilities.
The El Jefe role allows Popovich to fill some of the gaps in the overall process, ranging from specific on-court instruction to offering a bigger-picture perspective on mindset.
“He’s speaking life into you,” Bryant said. “A lot of times, there’s some things you need to hear from different people. Sometimes it clicks when it’s not the constant voice that you’re hearing for 82 games out of the year.”
Gregg Popovich makes a point to Devin Vassell, one of several Spurs who say Popovich’s advice has been vital to their success. (Ronald Cortes / Getty Images)
It is not uncommon for franchise legends to be involved with players from a distance. In Boston, late Hall of Fame coach and player Tommy Heinsohn would poke his head in the locker room to speak with key Celtics players after tough losses. Some teams will have former coaches serve as senior advisers who continue to provide guidance from time to time. Popovich appears to be turning the El Jefe role into his own version of that, displaying his signature ability to forge relationships with players while easing up a bit on the throttle now that he is no longer in charge of managing the whole program.
“It’s funny because you hear the stories about him being tough on guys and, obviously, he’s not my head coach, so I don’t kind of get that same experience,” Bryant said. “But I’m like, ‘What are you talking about?’ This dude is the sweetest, nicest guy. He’s dope.”
With Popovich’s support, Bryant said the playoffs have actually been less nerve-wracking for him than the beginning of the season. The need to perform to earn minutes produced what he called “unnecessary pressure,” and it was taking his joy of the game away. Then, Pop called and told him to play free and have fun.
“When you think about it at the end of the day, you’re grateful to be healthy, you’re grateful to wake up, you’re grateful to do all these things and have all these things in your life on a daily basis,” Bryant said. “Basketball’s going to be basketball.”
Now Bryant, like the rest of this young Spurs team, is playing free and having fun. The Spurs have exceeded every expectation this season, thanks in large part to Johnson and his staff having one of the best performances in the league. But running a team takes a village, and El Jefe has continued to do his part.
As the Spurs find themselves one win away from a showdown with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference finals, Bryant will play some role, big or small.
Whatever happens, he’ll have to race back to the locker room, because he knows his phone will be ringing.
By Jared Weiss, via The Athletic