San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has been among the best head coaches in the NBA for more than two decades. Entering his 26th season with the Spurs, it seems there is a possibility he sticks around the NBA even longer than expected.
Popovich’s incredible run in the NBA started in 1994 when he was hired as the Spurs’ general manager and vice president of basketball operations. When the team got off to a 3-15 start, he named himself head coach and the course of league history was changed.
The Spurs reached the Western Conference Semifinals in his first full season as head coach and won the NBA Finals a year later. In his first two seasons at the helm, San Antonio won five championships and reached the Western Conference Finals five other times.
When will Gregg Popovich retire?
With the Spurs seemingly entering a rebuild. many have wondered if Popovich could be on the verge of retirement. But around the NBA, according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe, there is some belief the future Hall of Famer might not be finished coaching.
“No one is sure if Popovich will coach beyond this season, but several sources who know him cautioned in recent weeks that it would not surprise them if he returned for 2022-23
ESPN’s Zach Lowe on the future of San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich
The Spurs have fallen quite a bit since their dynasty dominated the NBA. San Antonio hasn’t won a playoff series since the 2017 NBA Playoffs and it hasn’t reached the postseason the past two years.
There is certainly nothing the 72-year-old coach has to prove. The one thing his resume was missing, a gold medal, was finally achieved with Team USA in Tokyo this summer. He is also just 26 victories shy of surpassing Don Nelson (1,335) to become the winning coach in NBA history.
- Gregg Popovich record: 1,310-653 regular-season record, 170-113 in NBA Playoffs
Already coming off a 33-39 season, the Spurs lost DeMar DeRozan this summer and are toward the bottom of NBA power rankings. But Popovich has earned the right to end his legendary career on his terms and that means we could see him around for a few more years.