Gregg Popovich signed a five-year contract on Saturday to remain San Antonio Spurs head coach and president.
The 74 year old took over as head coach of the Spurs in December 1996. He has had a 27-year reign and has won 1366 games which is 31 more than Don Nelson who has had more wins as head coach before Popovich surpassed him.
Popovich comes third in the playoffs with 170 behind Phil Jackson (229) and Pat Riley (171).
He is also one of only five coaches with at least five Championships.He’ll enter the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame next month.
”His ability to connect and spend time and bounce between the really detailed development of basketball players and the bigger picture of developing people is just so impressive,” Spurs managing partner Peter J. Holt said in May.
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Popovich talked before the Spurs’ last game of this past season about how, during his career, he has been the beneficiary of serendipity to a max degree and that was even before San Antonio won the lottery and the chance to draft Victor Wembanyama. Wembanyama will potentially follow in the footsteps of David Robinson and Tim Duncan who came to the Spurs as No. 1 picks and became franchise-cornerstone big men.
The spurs haven’t won any playoff series since 2017 and have lost many games in the last four years than they did in the previous eight years combined.
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The struggling Spurs along with Popovich age had brought speculations that he would retire.
The losing ends now, if Wembanyama has anything to say about it. He’s coming to the NBA with eyes on becoming a superstar, an icon, a champion. And he’s about to become the star of the latest – and perhaps final – phase of Popovich’s career.
