La NBA changed its course in the first days of December 1996, the technician Bob Hill was fired by the Spurs. Gregg Popovichuntil then general manager and director of operations of the franchise, he named himself coach and took over the team. have recently been fulfilled 25 years after that and there he is still immovable in office, accumulating records and victories. With which I achieved before the Jazz (104-102) has become the coach with the most wins in NBA history: 1,336surpassing his friend and mentor Don Nelson.
“None of us train for records. We train for wins like tonight.”. All of us share this record. It’s not mine, it’s ours, from the city”, assured the technician, eager to make everyone participate in his success: “Something like this does not belong to a single individual. Basketball is a team sport. You preach to your players that they have to do it together and that has certainly been the case in my life with all the wonderful players and coaches I have had and have. I have been blessed with the support of this wonderful city.”
The figure is colossal, but even more so when compared to entire franchises. popovich adds more wins than the Magic (1,230), the Timberwolves (1,041), the Raptors (1,018), the Grizzlies (910) and the Pelicans (731). In the 75 years of the NBA, only three other coaches have had the honor of leading the league in wins: Red Auerbach (1947-95), Lenny Wilkens (1995-2010) and Don Nelson (10-22). The manager with the most active wins behind ‘Pop’ is Doc Rivers, with 1,032. His record will endure.
None of us train for records. We do it for wins like tonight
“The irony of this is that Nelson gave me a job when I didn’t have one.. Being here is, in my opinion, undignified and quite uncomfortable because it was wonderful saving my family’s ass. It’s ironic that he’s sitting here in this situation,” said Popovich, whose first stint in San Antonio as an assistant coach ended in 1992 when he fired Larry Brown and all his technical body. It was then that I got a job as an assistant at Golden State, working for Nelson for two seasons. He returned to the Spurs in 1994 and two years later named himself head coach.
In his extraordinary exercise of fidelity with the Spurs, Popovich has won five NBA rings between 1999 and 2014 (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014), which offers an idea of the longevity of their success. I took the Spurs to play the playoffs in 22 consecutive seasons and in all of them he was above 50% of victories in the regular League. He also recently became the first coach to reach 2,000 games with the same team. The Olympic gold in Tokyo It was the icing on the cake. only Wilkens, Chuck Daily y Rudy Tomjanovich they had won the NBA and the Games as coaches.
Gregg Popovich hugs Dejounte Murray.
Popovich’s achievements have merit for having extended over time, having achieved them after rebuilding the team and with the changes suffered by basketball in recent times, knowing how to adapt to them. “My greatest merit is having coached Tim Duncan in the draft,” he often jokes. That was in 1997 and the franchise went from being one of the worst in the NBA to the top. When the power forward, one of the best players in history, retired, many thought that San Antonio would never see a ring again, but also having known how to guide players like Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili y Kawhi Leonardthe other mainstays of their champion teams. Now he has the youngest team of his career. “I don’t want to go to training with problem players. I can’t imagine playing 100 games with guys who are assholes,” he says as part of his philosophy.
Huge legacy in the NBA
To understand the figure of Popovich, it would be necessary to add to his victories a tremendous influence in world basketball. Numerous American and foreign coaches have studied the game of their Spurs and have traveled to San Antonio to learn how the team works. Not to mention the quarry that this bench has meant. Steve Kerr (Warriors coach), Monty Williams (Suns) e Ime Udoka (Celtics) played for ly Mike Budenholzer (Bucks) y James Borrego (Hornets) worked as his helpers.
My greatest credit is having selected Tim Duncan in the draft
Popovich accumulates more NBA games than 14 current coaches combined and more wins than 15 of them combined, half of the total. It is unknown if those figures will continue to grow much more. There has been speculation for a long time about a withdrawal that, fortunately, never comes, but, Perhaps, now that he is 73 years old, we are facing his last active season. “Basketball is not the most important thing. I think about life, which is very short,” she says.
“Gregg Popovich’s success with the Spurs is unprecedented in our league, so it’s only fitting that he now holds the record for most career wins,” he said. Adam Silver it’s a statement. “His leadership and unwavering commitment to the game are widely admired by generations of players and coaches alike.. Congratulations to Coach Pop on this latest achievement in his legendary career.”
