Dejounte Murray may now be a member of the New Orleans Pelicans, but he got his start playing for the San Antonio Spurs.
He was one of the lucky NBA stars to be coached by Gregg Popovich, who recently retired from being the head coach after years of leading the Spurs.
Murray recently shared a touching and remarkable story about Popovich and how he helped his family.
During Murray’s rookie year, Popovich took it upon himself to offer money to move Murray’s mom to San Antonio after she had been shot.
“That was a man who wanted me to reach my full potential in life first—then as a basketball player. He’s so real. [Gregg] Popovich tried to move my mom to San Antonio with his own money after she got shot. My mom was shot in the leg my rookie year. He called her himself—without me knowing until after the fact. ‘We want to move you here. No—not with his money, with my money.’ That sounds like a dude that cares about me and loves me, right?” Murray said.
Dejounte Murray says Gregg Popovich tried to use his own money to move Dejounte’s mom to San Antonio after finding out she had been shot
“It was so crazy—a lot of my people don’t even know this. From family, friends, and the penitentiary… Pop didn’t want me to go to Seattle.… pic.twitter.com/KIYb1QG5NQ
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 18, 2025
This is the sort of story that didn’t receive any headlines at the time, but it obviously and rightfully had a huge influence on Murray.
At that point, Popovich had only known the young player for months, but he was still willing to put his own money into helping his family’s situation.
This is not something that happens often in the NBA or any sports league, and it shows the type of person Popovich is.
Again and again, players have talked about how compassionate and caring he was as a head coach.
To the media, he was a prickly figure who liked to be blunt and cold, but to the players and staff, he was warm and giving.
The Spurs were saddened when Popovich had to step down from his position due to health reasons, but he will remain close to the team.
And stories like this show that his impact will be felt for years to come, even for stars who have moved away from San Antonio.
The post Pelicans Star Shares Emotional Story About Gregg Popovich appeared first on The Cold Wire.
