Gregg Popovich was a head coach in the NBA during the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s, winning five championships with the San Antonio Spurs where he established a remarkable modern-day benchmark for coaching success.
Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Gregg Popovich announced Friday he is stepping down as head coach and moving into the role of president of basketball operations.
Though he will still be a vital part of the Spurs and is done coaching (“While my love and passion for the game remain, I’ve decided it’s time to step away as head coach,” he said in a statement), the three-time coach of the year leaves an indelible mark on coaching that extends throughout the NBA and beyond.
Here are six ways Popovich impacted the NBA:
How Gregg Popovich impacted the NBA
Changing with the times hallmark of Gregg Popovich career
Popovic won two titles with two towering big men – David Robinson and Tim Duncan – in an era when massive centers and power forwards roamed the court, playing at the same time and dominating. But as the game changed, so did Popovich. He wasn’t the biggest fan of the 3-point shot but also understood its importance.
When he won his last title in 2014, the Spurs shot 46.6% on 3s and made 11 per game in a five-game series victory against the Miami Heat. With Duncan nearing the end of his career, Popovich designed an offense around Tony Parker, Kawhi Leonard, Manu Ginobili, Patty Mills and Danny Green and let them shoot 3s.
Popovich won titles in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014.
Gregg Popovich mastered mining international talent
Popovich didn’t introduce international players to the NBA, but his worldview and open-mindedness – he had a degree in Soviet studies and underwent intelligence training at the U.S. Air Force Academy – understood how basketball was played in Europe and how it could impact the NBA.
Parker, Ginobili, Boris Diaw and Mills were instrumental in San Antonio’s success.
By the time the Spurs drafted Victor Wembanyama with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft, international players were not only a common presence on every roster, they were winning regular-season and Finals MVPs and teams had a regular scouting presence throughout the world.
Gregg Popovich was an elite evaluator of talent
Besides coach, Popovich held a prominent role in the front office. Before he became coach, he was the Spurs’ general manager/vice president of basketball operations. It’s not a surprise he will continue to run basketball operations.
Picking Duncan and Wembanyama with the No. 1 overall picks wasn’t genius, but the Spurs didn’t botch the picks, either. The Spurs discovered Hall of Fame value later in the draft, too. Ginobili was the No. 57 pick in the second round in 1999, Parker was the No. 28 pick in the first round in 2001, and they made a draft-day trade for Kawhi Leonard, the No. 15 pick in 2011.
One-time All-Star Dejounte Murray was the No. 29 pick in the 2016 draft. Derrick White, now a valuable player for Boston and a 2024 Paris Olympics gold medalist for USA Basketball, was drafted with the No. 29 pick in the first round in 2017.
Stephon Castle, the No. 4 selection in the 2024 draft, was named Rookie of the Year this week, the fourth Spurs player to win the award and the second consecutive Spur to win the award.
Remarkable consistency with one franchise
Popovich joined the Spurs in 1988, spent a couple of years with Golden State and returned to the Spurs in 1994 and has been with the franchise ever since, creating continuity that has made the small-market Spurs one of the best-run basketball operations departments in the NBA.
He has had a long-time successful partnership with R.C. Buford who is now CEO of the Spurs. When other teams are constantly changing coaches and front-office personnel, the Spurs found a model that works. It doesn’t mean the Spurs will compete for a title every season, but the established vision allows them to operate on short-term and long-term tracks.
It may not work for other franchises, but it works for the Spurs.
Gregg Popovich’s extensive coaching tree
Popovich’s coaching tree is vast, prominent and filled with varying degrees of success. But this much is true: if you have proved yourself on Popovich’s staff – whether as an assistant or video coordinator – your chance of getting a better opportunity with the Spurs or elsewhere is pretty high.
Mike Budenholzer, Quin Snyder, Brett Brown, Mike Brown, Ime Udoka, Becky Hammon, Monty Williams, Taylor Jenkins, Jacque Vaughn, James Borrego, Jim Boylen, Will Hardy and now Mitch Johnson are among the NBA and WNBA head coaches who have been assistants for Popovich or coached the Spurs’ G League team.
Steve Kerr, Doc Rivers and Avery Johnson all played for Popovich. Kerr has guided the Warriors to four titles in eight years since becoming head coach in 2014. And Rivers, coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, has coached four other NBA teams. He led the Boston Celtics to the championship in 2008. Johnson coached the Dallas Mavericks and Brooklyn Nets.
Budenholzer won a title with Milwaukee in 2021 and Budenholzer, Kerr, Rivers, Williams, Mike Brown and Avery Johnson all have won coach of the year.
Hammon led the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces to back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023 and was named coach of the year in 2022.
Coaches can be more than X’s and O’s
There is more than basketball to Popovich. He’s an advocate for human rights and social justice and not afraid to say what he wants. He is interested in the world. He is a gourmand and a wine enthusiast – he might object to oenophile.
His dinners – whether with a small group or the entire team – are legendary. But breaking bread and uncorking bottles were just the vessels to something greater: a human connection. Popovich wanted to know his staff and players. He listened to them and learned from them.
He has a cantankerous side. He didn’t suffer fools, and he made that clear. Some of it was schtick, some of it true to who he is. But he is also a tender-hearted human who enjoyed and appreciated the relationships coaching brought to his life.
“I’m forever grateful to the wonderful players, coaches, staff and fans who allowed me to serve them as the Spurs head coach,” Popovich said in a statement Friday, “and am excited for the opportunity to continue to support the organization, community and city that are so meaningful to me.”
