The Indiana Pacers selected Leonard with the 15th pick of the 2011 NBA Draft and then traded him to the San Antonio Spurs later that night. The Spurs and their then-head coach Gregg Popovich had seen something special in Leonard that others seemingly hadn't, and they certainly were on the money.

Kawhi Leonard is a man of few words, rarely one to open up publicly about emotions or relationships. But when news broke of Gregg Popovich’s retirement after nearly three decades of coaching, even Leonard couldn’t hide the impact the legendary San Antonio Spurs coach had on his life and career.

Following the announcement of Gregg Popovich’s retirement from coaching, players who used to play under Popovich, such as Kawhi Leonard, have praised the 76-year-old for his impact on the game. Leonard played a lot of his career under Popovich’s tutelage and achieved a lot during his time with the San Antonio Spurs.