Jacque Vaughn hugged Gregg Popovich in a tight embrace after his surging Brooklyn Nets rolled to their 12th straight win at the expense of his mentor’s San Antonio Spurs, 139-106, Monday night.
It was a bittersweet moment for Vaughn, who branched out of Popovich’s coaching tree.
Before facing his mentor, Vaughn told reporters how the NBA’s winningest coach influenced him to get into coaching when he was winding up his playing career.
After his tenure with the Nets, Vaughn finished his playing career with the Spurs in 2009. He won an NBA championship under Popovich in 2007.