The Indiana Pacers selected Leonard with the 15th pick of the 2011 NBA Draft and then traded him to the San Antonio Spurs later that night. The Spurs and their then-head coach Gregg Popovich had seen something special in Leonard that others seemingly hadn't, and they certainly were on the money.

Gregg Popovich coached many great players in his many seasons at the helm of the San Antonio Spurs. That certainly includes Kawhi Leonard. The multi-time All-Star entered the NBA as a raw, defensively-talented wing and transformed into one of the best two-way players in modern NBA history under Popovich's tutelage.

Popovich won those five championships spread out over 15 years by helping create one of the most remarkable, if quiet, cultures of excellence in sports. If Pat Riley had the Heat Way (flashy, talked about, and well-celebrated) in Miami, the Pop Way was the opposite in San Antonio.