The post garnered widespread responses from the NBA community, including fans, former and current players. Among them was LeBron James, a longtime admirer of Popovich, who shared the tribute on his Instagram story, accompanied by hand raise and heart emojis.

The Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated in the first round of the NBA postseason. But what exactly does that mean for the 40-year-old LeBron James?

According to Jovan Buha and Sam Amick of The Athletic, the 40-year-old is not expected to take a pay cut to accommodate the Lakers like he did last offseason when he took about $2.7 million less in order to help the team stay under the second salary apron.