The San Antonio Spurs and legendary coach Gregg Popovich have been synonymous for more than two decades. After nearly a quarter-century as head coach, Popovich is reportedly starting to think about life away from the Spurs.
According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick and David Aldridge, Popovich is widely believed around the league to be taking a year-by-year approach to his coaching career.
It’s understandable for the 71-year-old to be weighing his coaching future in the NBA. He began his coaching career in 1973 as an assistant at Air Force and hasn’t stopped coaching since.
While Popovich signed a three-year extension in April, it seems clear that he is at least thinking about when he might step away from the organization.
Popovich also has additional coaching obligations now, taking over as the head coach for the US Men’s National Team this summer at the Tokyo Olympics.
The Spurs are trending towards a rebuild, sitting outside the playoff picture in the Western Conference with several aging stars. So a fresh start could also be good for the organization at some point.
Whenever Popovich decides to walk away from the game, his status as an all-time great with five NBA titles will be remembered.