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Gregg Popovich is one of the most widely beloved figures in basketball, and it seems like virtually every player he’s coached has a story about the positive impact he’s had on their lives. That includes Dejounte Murray, who recently revealed the selfless offer the skipper made behind his back after learning his mother had been shot.
There are a number of NBA players who’ve been candid about their ability to harness basketball to escape from the rough environment they were raised in, and Dejounte Murray has credited the game with allowing him to turn his life around after he got caught up in the culture of gangs and violence that largely defined his upbringing in the South End of Seattle.
The guard made a name for himself at Rainier Beach High School and led his team to three state titles before heading to the University of Washington for a one-and-done stint that led to the Spurs selecting him with the 29th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.
Murray ended up spending five seasons in San Antonio under the watch of Gregg Popovich, and during a recent appearance on The Pivot, he described him as a “father figure” who played an instrumental role in not only developing his skills but ensuring he was set up for success after getting the chance to leave his old life behind.
The man who is currently recovering from the torn Achilles he suffered midway through his first season with the Pelicans said Popovich persuaded him to not go back to Seattle after he ended up in San Antonio in order to avoid the risks that came with falling back with members of his old circles (Murray noted “everybody I grew up with is dead or in prison”).
That had to be difficult when you consider his mother was still living there, and during the conversation, he said she was the victim of a shooting during his rookie season—a development that led to Popovich reaching out to her with an incredibly generous offer:
“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, no, not with his money, with my money.’ That sounds like a dude who cares about me and loves me, right?”
What a guy.