Gregg Popovich has no regrets over chastising crowd for booing Kawhi Leonard: ‘It was hateful’

Fox News Flash top sports headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich grabbed the mic during his team’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers Wednesday night and told the fans to stop booing Kawhi Leonard. 

Leonard, who played in San Antonio for the first seven years of his career but requested a trade in 2018, was at the free-throw line on Wednesday when Popovich grabbed the microphone. 

Gregg Popovich head coach of the San Antonio Spurs talks with his team during game against the Los Angeles Clippers in the second half at Frost Bank Center on November 22, 2023, in San Antonio, Texas.  (Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)

"Excuse me for a second," he said on the microphone. "Can we stop all the booing and let these guys play? It’s got no class, it’s not who we are. Knock off the booing."

MAVERICKS' KYRIE IRVING WEARS KEFFIYEH TO POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE

Prior to his Spurs facing the Golden State Warriors on Friday, the five-time winner of the NBA championship said he had no regrets over his actions. 

"Absolutely not. It’s pretty easy to understand," Popovich told reporters. "I listened to it for a while, and it just got louder and louder and uglier and uglier. And I felt sorry for him, and I was embarrassed for our city, for our organization.

"Because that’s not who we are. That’s not how we’ve conducted ourselves for the last 25 years. It’s the opposite of the way we’ve conducted ourselves, the way we’ve worked in the community."

Popovich called the booing "hateful" and "mean-spirited," which continued after Popovich’s announcement. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Kawhi Leonard, #2 of the LA Clippers, talks to Head Coach Gregg Popovich