Dejounte Murray shares Gregg Popovich’s awe-inspiring gesture to help his mother after she was shot

Dejounte Murray credits a lot of his success in the NBA to the head coach he played under for the first four seasons of his career. The 28-year-old was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs back in 2016, and Gregg Popovich immediately took the young point guard under his wing. Murray appreciates the basketball advice that his coach gave him, but what he did when his mother was shot meant much more.

Murray is one of the best defensive guards in the league when he is healthy. He learned a lot of those skills under Popovich, who helped mold him into an elite two-way player in the NBA. He earned an All-Star appearance in 2022 to go along with an All-Defensive nod in 2018. Since leaving the Spurs, his career has been underwhelming, but teams around the league remain interested in his skills.

Murray appeared on Tuesday’s episode of The Pivot Podcast, where he opened up about his rookie year in the NBA. His mother was shot in the leg halfway through his first professional season. However, instead of sending him to Seattle to go see her, Popovich offered to move her to San Antonio using his own money so she could be closer to her son as she recovered, giving them both peace of mind.

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“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. When I first got drafted, I wouldn’t go to Seattle. And that was a man who cared about me. That was a man who wanted me to reach my full potential in life first—then as a basketball player. He’s so real. He 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?”

Even though Popovich's time as a coach in the NBA is over, he and Murray still have a tight relationship. The point guard has thanked his former head coach for giving him the opportunity to grow with the Spurs early in his career, helping him to develop into an All-Star talent. Even after the guard was traded to the Atlanta Hawks, he remained close with Popovich.

Dejounte Murray showed Gregg Popovich love when he retired from coaching

Gregg Popovich was the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs for 29 seasons, the longest tenure as an NBA head coach in league history. Unfortunately, health issues convinced him to retire from his position and transition into a front office role in the Spurs organization.

Popovich influenced the career of many players across the league, and the support for his decision was overwhelming. Players showed their former coach love, grateful for everything he did for them. Murray took to social media to share his appreciation, saying that Popovich's support helped him through a dark stretch of his life.

Dejounte Murray

@DejounteMurray

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I Love You Pop And I Thank GOD For Allowing A Basketball To Bring Us Together. The Best Part Besides You Being The GOAT Is The Way You Care For Everyone Genuinely Off The Court. In My DARKEST Days You Was Always A Shoulder To Lean And Cry On And I Will Never Forget That!!!! 🙏🏽🖤

The New Orleans Pelicans guard is one of many success stories that Popovich can look back on during his career. However, their relationship goes far beyond that of a player and their coach. No matter where the point guard finds himself playing, he owes a large part of his success to his first NBA head coach who believed in him from the start.

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About the author

Zachary Howell

Zachary Howell is an NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda with a degree in Broadcast and Digital Journalism from Syracuse University and over a year of experience in the field.

Being introduced to the digital side of content inspired Zachary to become a writer, and his love of basketball made this an obvious transition.

His favorite team is the OKC Thunder, and Zachary started following them in 2011 when they were on the rise with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden. His favorite basketball players from the past are Tim Duncan, Michael Jordan and Shaquille O'Neal. Those three came to define their eras of basketball and were dominant without beating their chests too much. Zachary is a big fan of quiet greatness and these three players are good embodiments of that.

When not writing or watching sports, Zachary enjoys reading and exercising, as well as gaming. He loves to be outside and spend time with friends and family, including his three dogs.

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