SAN ANTONIO -- The San Antonio Spurs practiced for nearly three hours on Saturday after taking off the day before, and guard Danny Green said the team spent much of the day learning.

San Antonio spent the early portion of the workout in film study, but what stood out most to Green was the history lesson the team received from former Olympian John Carlos, who along with Tommie Smith during the 1968 Summer Games in Mexico City bowed his head as they stood atop the medal stand during the playing of the national anthem and raised a black-gloved fist in what would later be called a black power salute.

The act outraged many Americans and resulted in Carlos and Smith being suspended from the U.S. team, and banned from Olympic Village.

Carlos, who along with Smith received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the 2008 ESPY Awards, was invited to speak to the team by Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.

"We got a chance to interact with a legend, talk to him and hear his story," Green said. "He paved the way for us. He talked to us and told us his experiences of when he did the Olympics. It was a learning experience for me. It's hard to explain, but for us young guys, learning the history of where we came from, I think was important. It was important to Pop. So he felt the need to share it [with] us."