fortinbras wrote:Thank you, San Antonio by Tony Parkerhttps://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/tony-parker-san-antonio-spursthe biggest reason why Spurs Culture exists … this is pretty simple, isn’t it? We had one of the best players of all time, for 19 seasons, in Tim. But the thing with Tim is that he wasn’t only the greatest player for those years. He was also the greatest teammate
People would always ask about why the guys on our teams were so coachable — about how we always seemed to squeeze nearly the best results possible from any player who came through our organization.
the thing that set us apart the most in these situations? It’s Timmy, man. It really was Timmy. Simple as that
Timmy was the most coachable great player of all time
It’s like he was challenging everyone else in our gym: The best player in the entire league is willing to put his ego aside for the good of this team — are you?
That was always our secret weapon, to me: You see this all-world player, this All-NBA First Team, MVP of the Finals, about to be MVP of the league guy, and here he is in practice, willing to be coached like he’s fighting for a spot on the team. It was unreal. And if you think that’s too passive for a star player to be? Well, then you’re not thinking it through on Tim’s level. Because Tim knew the truth: which was that to let himself be coached in this way, you know … that’s true charisma, and that’s true swagger.
And that was the deal, you know? Guys would come in, take a look around, and eventually they would do as Tim does.
That was Spurs Culture.
(EDIT: About the bold part: Tim was the consummate example because he followed principles put in place - and that still are in place - by Pop. The Spurs Way is other guys doing what the best guy did. This has been and is being passed on from one generation to the next.)
Well, that certainly was
one of the things Tony said, yes. But in the interest of not just isolating quotes to skew a point, here are some others:
The veterans took me under their wing right away. They just always made room for it — and I don’t mean in these huge, obvious, “stop everything and teach the French kid about the meaning of life” kind of ways. Just very subtle things: a quick lesson here, a short conversation there.
With a guy like David … I mean, it was just amazing to see. You have this first-ballot Hall of Famer, and he’s in the middle of another championship run — and yet somehow he is not viewing me, this young guy getting brought along at the same time, as a burden. With David, and with the other veteran players on the Spurs, it always felt like this was just the natural way of things. Everyone had their expectation of winning championships. But then they also had this other responsibility, that they valued just as much, of, like … leaving the team in better shape than when they found it. And that’s Spurs Culture, to me, you know? Fulfilling your expectations, while also making room for this larger responsibility to the whole.
It’s hard to explain what makes Pop such a special leader. Of course, there’s the stuff you know: He’s a genius communicator, a sharp Xs-and-Os thinker, a brilliant motivator, and an all-around great guy. But I think what makes him unique as an NBA coach are his principles: the way that he established them from the start — and then the way that he has stuck to them ever since....
You see what I’m saying?
Here’s the thing, though, with all those experiences, both the “good” ones and the “bad” ones: They all made me a better player — and they all made me a better person. And that’s just Pop, man. That’s what makes him so special. It’s no B.S. when he’s giving you these words of encouragement … and it’s no B.S. when he’s giving you these words of criticism. When he’s starting you, when he’s benching you, when he’s handing you the keys to the offense, or even when he’s shopping the keys around in free agency to someone else … man, you’re still getting the same Pop, operating on the same principle, every time. And that principle is: anything that happens on his watch, it happens for one reason and one reason only. The good of the Spurs.
I think this is why you see the Spurs, as an organization, just being so good at juggling a lot of these big names, a lot of these great players, all at the same time. Because whoever the guy is, it doesn’t matter — the question never changes. It’s always that same Pop question: What will happen here so it’s for the good of the Spurs?....
All we wanted, in the end, was to win titles together. That’s all that mattered. It was Pop’s way, which meant it was our way.
Which meant it was the Spurs Way.
Funny how that fleshes out the Spurs Way a bit more, doesn't it? When Tony arrived, it was already in place. When Timmy arrived before him it was already in place. There is no doubting and no minimizing their roles in instilling and maintaining it as an example for all others to follow. Still, even after they're no longer on the team, the Spurs Way is still here. And those who do not display the character to emulate it, no matter how talented, are not here either.
The larger point Tony is making in the whole heartfelt piece is the collective, guided by a set of principles, put themselves aside for the greater goal, and that they all played an integral part in that. You do need the right guys to keep it going (and weed out those who don't). Ask Pop and he'll also say it was Timmy. Ask Timmy and he'll say it's Pop. See what I mean? It's the same principle reciprocated. It's about getting the best out of themselves for 'the other guy' and making sure every guy is in it for that. The principles remain even if eras change. We've got a good group to keep it going.
