Former Boston Celtics player Evan Turner added fuel to social media chatter surrounding 77-year-old Gregg Popovich’s surprise marriage to Mary Barth Budenholzer, dropping a blunt three-word reaction after news broke of the legendary coach’s Texas ceremony.
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According to Cameron Salerno of CBS Sports, Popovich married Mary Barth Budenholzer on September 16 in Texas, with TMZ first confirming the union after obtaining a Bexar County marriage license.
While the news surprised NBA fans, Mary’s ties to Popovich’s long-time coaching tree made the announcement particularly notable: she is the ex-wife of former Spurs assistant coach Mike Budenholzer, who spent nearly two decades alongside Popovich in San Antonio.
After TMZ shared the report on X, Turner offered a candid, albeit cryptic, assessment.
“People are weirdos,” Turner wrote on X.
Though Turner did not explicitly name Popovich or elaborate on his comment, his reaction appeared directly aimed at the unusual personal connection within the Spurs family.
Budenholzer spent 19 years on Popovich’s staff in San Antonio, helping guide the franchise to four NBA championships (1999, 2003, 2005, and 2007) before departing in 2013 to take over the Atlanta Hawks. Budenholzer later won another NBA title as the Milwaukee Bucks’ head coach in 2021.
To clear up any potential speculation regarding impropriety, the timeline reveals that Mike and Mary Budenholzer divorced in 2016 after 20 years of marriage, nearly a decade before Popovich and Mary tied the knot. Popovich was previously married to his first wife, Erin, for 42 years until her passing in 2018.
Mary, 61, and Popovich were first spotted together during the 2025-26 NBA season, though no confirmed details exist regarding when their relationship officially began.
Gregg Popovich spent nearly three decades as the Spurs’ head coach before ending his coaching career in 2025. CBS Sports reported that the NBA later changed his career record after removing the 77 games he missed during the 2024-25 season. His final coaching record stands at 1,390-824.
While many fans congratulated Popovich on starting a new personal chapter, Turner’s sharp three-word post highlights that the unique connection within Popovich’s coaching lineage left others viewing the situation quite differently.