SAN ANTONIO -- Recently retired San Antonio Spurs power forward Tim Duncan joined his former team for practice on Monday, and coach Gregg Popovich likened their relationship to that of a loving couple.
A funny moment, asked if he still picks Duncan's brain, Popovich responded... #Spurs pic.twitter.com/2uyvvkQDuu
— Jabari Young (@JabariJYoung) November 7, 2016
Asked whether he has interacted with Duncan over the club’s past few outings, Popovich said: “Oh, sure. We’re like in love. We text all the time.”
Are emojis involved?
“Only the ones where you blow kisses,” Popovich quipped.
One of the cornerstones of the franchise’s five NBA titles, Duncan retired in July after 19 seasons with the team. Duncan has joined the Spurs on multiple occasions for practices at the team’s facilities, but his role with the organization remains unclear.
Spurs general manager R.C. Buford has said he would like for Duncan to transition into life after basketball before carving out a defined role with the club, and Popovich said the future Hall of Famer can be “the coach of whatever he feels like.”
Excuse the bad camera work, but here's Tim Duncan taking some free throws. pic.twitter.com/qF1bbLKP4Z
— Michael C. Wright (@mikecwright) November 7, 2016
Duncan still lives fairly close to the team’s practice facilities, and his car customization business, BlackJack Speed Shop, is less than five minutes from the Spurs’ workout site.
“There’s an opportunity, especially for the young guys, when they do see him to go over and pick his brain,” Spurs reserve guard Patty Mills said. “I had the opportunity to do it for five years. So I think guys should make the most of that. Whenever I see him, I just give him grief for being old and not being here anymore. It’s definitely good to see him turn up every now and again.”