The play in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals that left Kawhi Leonard injured and turned Zaza Pachulia into a villain among NBA fans has had far-reaching implications beyond just the basketball court, Pachulia told USA Today Sports.
Fans are now well-aware of the incident where Leonard landed on Pachulia’s ankle after taking a jump shot in the 3rd quarter of Game 1. Leonard has not played since then, and the Warriors have stormed out to a 3-0 series lead with the Spurs missing their star. San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich went on a rant the following day and called Pachulia’s play “totally unnatural.”
Since then, Pachulia told USA Today, he and his family have received numerous threats and threatening messages, to the point where extra security was added out front of his childrens’ school. Pachulia has three children, all below the age of 10.
“Look at what happened at the school. It was unfortunate. They had to get extra security because we are living in a world today where social media is so active, you can find any news you want to, hear any news you want to, and obviously it’s a hot topic lately. They just had hired extra security for the entrance, and make sure nobody goes in the school. … It’s just not fair. It does upset me,” Pachulia said in the interview.
Pachulia went on to say that although he doesn’t expect anything serious to happen to him or his family, the social media age makes things a bit more precarious and worrisome. He said Popovich’s words may have played a part in sparking the outrage, and added he wished the coach would’ve considered things more carefully.
“I don’t blame everything on Pop, but what he said had a lot of influence (and) you had a lot of people where, unfortunately, you can’t control what everybody’s intelligence is. (Fans) just hear the message, and it’s, ‘Ok, Pop said so and now let’s do this.’ It’s just wrong. You’ve got to think, and realize. Threaten me, but don’t threaten my wife or say something about my kids. It’s just wrong,” Pachulia said.
The center missed Game 3 with a heel contusion he suffered in Game 2 of the series, and his status is unclear for Game 4. But it’s clear there’s a lot more on Pachulia’s mind than just basketball at the moment.