Before Steve Kerr and Stephen Curry won gold in Paris, Green earned a medal of his own with Popovich in Tokyo in 2020 (and another, in Rio de Janeiro, in 2016). The medal was especially meaningful to Popovich, a graduate of the Naval Academy, and Green dished out a team-high five assists in the gold medal game against France.

As Gregg Popovich stepped down from his post as San Antonio Spurs coach and transitioned to a front office role as the team's president this week, endless tributes for the winningest coach in NBA history followed.

Gregg Popovich understood the world. That goes back long before the basketball world knew who he was. It probably can be traced to at least Popovich’s time at the U.S.