Popovich on Wembanyama: 'All my best wines are older than Victor' / News - Basketnews.com

Popovich said he only gets excited when he finds out a seemingly expired wine is actually great and not when he sees Wembanyama on the court. The wines in his collection are older than the French phenom, Popovich said.

Credit: USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con-Scanpix Credit USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con-Scanpix

Victor Wembanyama's spectacular performance led the San Antonio Spurs to an overtime victory against the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday. After the game, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich joked about the French center.

Player of the Game EFF 43 Victor Wembanyama Points 33 Accuracy 14-26 Rebounds 15 Assists 7

It was only the 15th wins for the Spurs this season. Asked about the importance of the victory, Popovich provided a colorful answer. "Every win is important. I don't care if it's in Timbuktu," he said in the post-game press conference, naming a city in Mali.

Wembanyama collected 33 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists, and 7 blocks in 36 minutes against the Nets and was instrumental in achieving the win.

"He's a multi-talented young man, and he's going to show us things that none of us have ever seen before. That was one of them," Popovich said in the post-game press conference.

"He's getting more and more solid, more and more disciplined, more and more used to the contact that he gets, the attention that he gets," Pop explained. "It's a tough position for him to be in. He handles it with class and has pretty good smarts."

At 75 years old, Popovich is currently the oldest coach in the league. He is also the winningest specialist in NBA history. Having signed a five-year extension last summer, he is set to remain in the league for years to come.

Asked whether he gets excited to coach and stay in the NBA for more than five years, Popovich gave one of his signature answers.

"I only get excited when I have an older French Bordeaux that I was worried it might be over the hill and I find out it was really perfect - then I get excited," the legendary coach said about his wine collection.

"All of my best wines are older than Victor. That's a true statement," Popovich laughed, concluding the press conference.

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