Legendary San Antonio Spurs coach, Gregg Popovich will no longer be the coach of the Texan franchise. At 76, and after almost 30 years on the San Antonio bench, he should occupy a place as “president of basketball operations”.
Thunderclap in the world of the NBA. Legendary San Antonio Spurs coach since 1996, Gregg Popovich will no longer be the Texan franchise coach. At 76, and after almost 30 years on the bench, he should occupy a place of “president of basketball operations”. The most victorious coach in the regular season (1422 victories), he will have led Spurs to five NBA titles. On a personal level, he received the title of coach of the year three times.
Victim of a stroke in November, he has not been seen on the bench of San Antonio since. His assistant Mitch Johnson assured the interim and led the team of Victor Wembanyama in 13th place at the Western Conference (31 victories, 45 defeats). Popovich has been present in Spurs’ installations in recent days, and despite his desire to find his place on the bench, he concluded that he could no longer assume the demanding role of the NBA principal coach, according to sources in ESPN. However, his health has grown regularly since his stroke, added sources to ESPN.
-Older coach in the history of the NBA
“While retaining my love and my passion for the game, I decided that it was time to move away from the coach position. I will always be grateful for wonderful players, coaches, staff and fans who authorized me to serve them as a main trail. I am excited by the opportunity to continue to endure the organization, the community and the city which are so important to me,” said Gregg Popovich in a spurs.
After taking the next generation of Bob Hill in December 1996 to try to take a catastrophic assessment of 3-15, Popovich – thanks to the first choice of the 1997 draft Tim Duncan – led the Spurs at 22 consecutive playoffs from 1998 to 2019, winning in particular at least 50 victories in 18 consecutive campaigns.
He is one of the five coaches to have won at least five titles with Phil Jackson (11), Red Auerbach (9), John Kundla and Pat Riley (5). The oldest coach in the history of the NBA, he had accepted an extension of a five-year contract in 2023. He was also a head coach of the National Men’s Basketball Team in the 2019 World Cup and the Tokyo Olympic Games, where the Americans won their fourth consecutive gold medal.
