The great San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich doesn’t like the way we’re so quick to categorize people these days. The world isn’t made up of just losers and winners. Most of our days aren’t going to result in wins, in fact, and if you think everything is “going to happen to you positively” you’re in for some surprises in life. Popovich told ESPN’s J.A. Adande that he was as proud of his 2013 Spurs that lost the championship as he was of his 2014 championship team. It’s not the results, it’s the effort.
Popovich is the kind of teacher we all hope for. He’s demanding, but his expectations are grounded in reality. People have it wrong when they’re judgmental, he thinks. “In today’s world, if you don’t win the whole thing, whether it’s football or basketball, or this and that,” says Popovich, “people have a tendency to paint you as a loser or act like you just robbed the cookie jar. Well that’s baloney.”
