The questions were over and Doc Rivers was putting the wraps on another postgame press conference when he decided he wanted to say one more thing. It was about Pat Summitt, the legendary women’s basketball coach at the University of Tennessee who announced earlier in the day that she was retiring after 38 years.

Summitt, who compiled a record of 1,098-208 and won eight national championships was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease before the start of the season. “I’ve loved being the head coach at Tennessee for 38 years, but I recognize that the time has come to move into the future and to step into a new role,” Summitt said in a statement.

“I want to finish with Pat Summitt,” Rivers said as his voice faltered and his eyes became red and welled with tears. “She’s a neat lady. I got to know her a little bit and I just think it’s really sad in a lot of ways. Not basketball, but everything. So, I didn’t want to get emotional. I’m an emotional person and when you see a giant like that leave the game and leave the game because of health, it’s just sad. But she is responsible for women’s basketball. She’s not just a women’s basketball coach, she’s a great coach.

“The longer I’m in this I just realize how much coaching means to all of us. You think about it today. Pat Summitt is retiring at her age and Larry Brown is taking a job at his age. It just tells you how much it’s in your blood, how much you love it. For her not to be able to do it, to me is very sad.”

Summit is staying on at Tennessee as head coach emeritus and said she will be active in the fight against Alzheimer’s through the Pat Summitt Foundation Fund.