“Never heard back from him” — the condensed version of what Robert Horry’s grudge with Gregg Popovich was all about. But, over time, things changed for good. The 7x NBA champ on a 2021 episode of Road Trippin’ had mentioned that Pop promised to bring him back while he was at the end of his career. He emphasized that he was not mad about Gregg not delivering on his promise, but rather about not responding properly. Now, in a resurfaced video from 2023, Horry can be seen focusing on the positive that the Spurs head coach brought for him.

During the episode of All the Smoke from 2023, Horry recalled the time his daughter, Ashlyn, was sick while it was his last year with the Spurs. “She was in the hospital,” he mentioned. He further revealed Pop insisted that he must not return for practice until his daughter was out of the hospital. But, even after the hospital discharged Ashlyn, Pop still insisted that Horry go back and spend time with his daughter. “I’m like, ‘Are you trying to get rid of me’… He’s like, ‘No… family is the most important thing,'” the ex-Spurs star recalled.

He further praised both Pop and the Spurs organization for recognizing that while basketball is a business, it is not the most important thing. “Your family’s the most important thing. And for me, I’m really grateful for that, because, you know, two years later, I lost my daughter…,” he added. Notably, Ashlyn was just 17 when she passed away in 2011.

As per the reports, she suffered from a rare disease, as she was born with 1p36 deletion syndrome. An individual having this rare genetic disorder suffers from intellectual disabilities, seizures, and respiratory issues. And the root cause behind these issues is the deletion of genetic material on chromosome 1. Robert Horry’s daughter was among the unfortunate ones to have suffered from this.

“4/2/94 today you would be 30. We miss you every single day. Your smile, the deep belly laughs, the hugs and the butterfly kisses you only shared with me..are a few things we miss…” the 7x NBA champ wrote in an IG post in April of this year. It’s clear how close he was to his daughter. No wonder Horry showed value to the time Pop advised him to spend time with his daughter.

Robert Horry holds the utmost respect for Popovich among all the coaches he has played under

Throughout his career, Horry played under different coaches. And these included two of the most successful coaches in NBA history — Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich. Jackson, without a doubt, enjoyed a different level of success as compared to Pop in the league. But who does Horry choose as his coach if he has to pick one?

Without saying anything negative about Jackson, the 7x NBA champ went with Pop’s name, as per an article by SLAM Online. This is despite the fact that he admitted Pop may never speak to him again because of his harsh approach after his retirement. “The thing that I’d say best about Pop is he would curse you out. (But) he treats everybody the same on the team, whether you’re a starter or the 12th man,” Horry said in the 2024 article.

Apart from this, the 7x NBA champ also mentioned Gregg as a true professional. He stated that the Spurs head coach believes in the concept of family. So, Pop would leave all the arguments inside the practice facility itself. “A lot of coaches don’t know how to do that, and they’ll hold grudges for a long time,” said the 53-year-old. It’s clear that the former Spurs star has not lost a sense of respect for his former coach.

Stay tuned for more such updates. And join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.