Early tip-off means no popping corks for Popovich

popovich_wine

Gregg Popovich joked his pre-game press conference yesterday that the early start had put a dent in his wine consumption the night before.

You probably know that Popovich is one of the winningest coaches in NBA history who fosters team play that is unparalleled in today’s NBA. But you may not know that he went to the Air Force Academy and was stationed in California where he got into wine. He has a 3,000-bottle cellar and is a partner in A to Z Wineworks and Rex Hill in Oregon.

The Spurs won their early start yesterday. Given that they had the best record in the deep Western Conference, Popovich may well be the coach popping bottles after the Finals are over (they don’t call him “Pop” for nothing). Unless Tom Thibodeau and the Bulls can take it all!

“Popovich loves his wine” espn.com
“Pop art” [SI.com]

3 Responses to “Early tip-off means no popping corks for Popovich”


  1. I had the very good fortune to host an event with Coach Popovich, Sean Elliot and an incredible run of DRC in 2005.

    Any time his name and wine comes up I am reminded of what a genuinely good, down to earth guy he was before, during and after the event. He and the Spurs sent an amazing run of souvenirs that we auctioned for Bear Necessities Pediatric Cancer here in Chicago – far more than they needed to.

    http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/879/coach-popovich-drinking-wine

    The ’66 La Tache was pretty good, too.


  2. Hey Damien – It’s good to hear that Pop was more loquacious with you than he is with reporters! Also good to hear that you enjoyed some DRC and raised money for the charity.

    I’m disappointed by your comment, though: no shout-out for the Bulls??


  3. We contacted Michael Jordan, or attempted to, via his foundation and a connection to his mother, but nothing came of it.

    If he, or any current Bulls, see this (they must be a regular reader of your blog, right?), he should know that I would be very happy to help them raise a little money for charity!


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