In nearly three a long time because the Spurs coach, Gregg Popovich has seen and completed all of it. He oversaw one of many best runs in NBA historical past, full with 5 NBA titles. He went to Tokyo and helped Group USA seize gold. He even turned an outspoken and salient voice on issues exterior of basketball. In essence, Popovich has been the most effective basketball coaches ever and the NBA’s de facto clever elder sage. It’s laborious to think about any matter within the broader basketball sphere carrying any weight with out Popovich’s perspective.
His basketball pedigree took middle stage on Friday evening:
With a 104-102 win over the Jazz, Popovich now has probably the most teaching wins in NBA historical past with 1,336.
Right here’s the wonderful second of celebration, which conveniently had to occur at residence in San Antonio.
It’s telling that even in a down 12 months, you may see the apparent admiration Popovich’s gamers have for him as a coach. The person instructions respect just by respecting others, they usually reply in type.
One other one who instructions respect, Don Nelson — most well-known for teaching runs with the Warriors and Mavericks — had a message for his long-time good friend.
I swear I’m not crying. Somebody’s reducing onions someplace. They must be.
For these of you doing the maths at residence, Popovich has been the coach of the Spurs for nearly 26 years. His 1,336 victories over that span would common out to over 51 wins a 12 months. Fairly a powerful mark in a league predicated on particular person stars greater than most.
Popovich is likely one of the finest ever to roam an NBA courtside. We already knew this earlier than Friday evening. It’s nonetheless superior to see an all-timer obtain the flowers he deserves.
