Gregg Popovich: Spurs Will Listen to NBA, Not Texas Governor About Masks

Spurs president and head coach Gregg Popovich said the Spurs will not listen to the updated guidelines after the Texas governor announced on Tuesday that he's lifting the statewide mask mandate and opening the state up fully. 

"As far as the players go, we listen to the NBA, not the governor," Popovich told reporters Tuesday. 

While he did acknowledge the toll the pandemic has taken on businesses across the country, the 72-year-old added that the pandemic is not over. He called the move by Gov. Greg Abbott 'pretty mystifying.' 

"Basically you're saying, 'You get infected and you die?'" Popovich said. "'That's the way it goes. We got to open up.' That's not the way to do it. This is really ridiculous.'

According to the New York Times, only 13% of people in Texas have received a single dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, making it one of the slowest states in distribution. 

The NBA updated its health and safety protocols in February, requiring players, coaches and staff members to wear KN95 or KF94 masks in the bench area, per ESPN's Tim Bontemps.