Gregg Popovich knows how to do it when it comes to being classy. Last night during the reception of the Bulls, the Spurs coach did not hesitate to take a time-out, in the middle of the first quarter, after a “jumper” from DeMar DeRozan. The latter, as expected, had just exceeded the symbolic bar of 20,000 career points.
This special moment, hailed by the Texas public, was marked by a warm hug between the two men. The full-back was also seen kissing Becky Hammon, Gregg Popovich’s former assistant also present.
Passed by Texas from 2018 to 2021, after being transferred against Kawhi Leonard, DeMar DeRozan became the 50th player in history to reach this total of points. He had scored nearly 4,500 points with Spurs alone.
A way to “close the loop”
” To be honest with you, it’s beyond unreal. Being mentioned in the points records, being in the all-time Top 50, being able to earn the respect of one of the greatest managers of all time, having the honor of play here and have these fans welcome me like they did for my three years (here), it’s just crazy to come full circle », reacts the Bulls playerauthor of 33 points (11/20 on shots) in the defeat of the Bulls.
He adds : ” It didn’t seem real when it happened. I would have liked us to win but living this kind of moment was truly unforgettable. »
For his part, Gregg Popovich hails the success of a ” beautiful and wonderful person. He’s one of the best players I’ve ever coached. I still stay in contact with him. He’s a good person. »
” DeMar is incredibly humble. (His 20,000 points are) an excellent reflection of the time and investment he has put into this area throughout his career. He’s obviously always been a talented scorer, but he does it very, very effectively. “Completes Billy Donovan, referring to his player’s 21 career average points at 46.5% on shots. With, it must be remembered, such a low use of 3-point shooting (1.5 career attempts for 29% success).
His coach thus considers that the former Raptors player has just integrated ” the Top 50 players of all time. It’s quite remarkable. I’m sure growing up he never thought that would happen, but he’s going to go down as one of the greatest strikers in this league. I hope he can take some time to reflect on how far he has come and do what he did. »
| DeMar DeRozan | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2009-10 | TOR | 77 | 22 | 49.8 | 25.0 | 76.3 | 0.9 | 2.0 | 2.9 | 0.7 | 2.3 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 8.6 |
| 2010-11 | TOR | 82 | 35 | 46.7 | 9.6 | 81.3 | 0.9 | 2.9 | 3.8 | 1.8 | 2.7 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 17.2 |
| 2011-12 | TOR | 63 | 35 | 42.2 | 26.1 | 81.0 | 0.6 | 2.7 | 3.4 | 2.0 | 2.6 | 0.8 | 2.0 | 0.3 | 16.7 |
| 2012-13 | TOR | 82 | 37 | 44.5 | 28.3 | 83.1 | 0.6 | 3.3 | 3.9 | 2.5 | 2.1 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 0.3 | 18.1 |
| 2013-14 | TOR | 79 | 38 | 42.9 | 30.5 | 82.4 | 0.7 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 2.2 | 0.4 | 22.7 |
| 2014-15 | TOR | 60 | 35 | 41.3 | 28.4 | 83.2 | 0.7 | 3.9 | 4.6 | 3.5 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 2.3 | 0.2 | 20.1 |
| 2015-16 | TOR | 78 | 36 | 44.6 | 33.8 | 85.0 | 0.8 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 2.2 | 0.3 | 23.5 |
| 2016-17 | TOR | 74 | 35 | 46.7 | 26.6 | 84.2 | 1.0 | 4.3 | 5.2 | 3.9 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 2.4 | 0.2 | 27.3 |
| 2017-18 | TOR | 80 | 34 | 45.6 | 31.0 | 82.5 | 0.7 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 5.2 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 2.2 | 0.3 | 23.0 |
| 2018-19 | SAN | 77 | 35 | 48.1 | 15.6 | 83.0 | 0.7 | 5.3 | 6.0 | 6.2 | 2.3 | 1.1 | 2.6 | 0.5 | 21.2 |
| 2019-20 | SAN | 68 | 34 | 53.1 | 25.7 | 84.5 | 0.7 | 4.9 | 5.5 | 5.6 | 2.7 | 1.0 | 2.4 | 0.3 | 22.1 |
| 2020-21 | SAN | 61 | 34 | 49.5 | 25.7 | 88.0 | 0.7 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 6.9 | 2.1 | 0.9 | 2.0 | 0.3 | 21.6 |
| 2021-22 | CHI | 76 | 36 | 50.4 | 35.2 | 87.7 | 0.7 | 4.4 | 5.2 | 4.9 | 2.3 | 0.9 | 2.4 | 0.3 | 27.9 |
| 2022-23 | CHI | 5 | 34 | 51.8 | 33.3 | 87.2 | 0.4 | 3.6 | 4.0 | 5.4 | 2.4 | 1.2 | 2.0 | 0.2 | 24.8 |
| Total | 962 | 34 | 46.5 | 28.8 | 83.8 | 0.7 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 2.1 | 0.3 | 20.8 | |
