Gregg Popovich Retirement: One of Basketball’s Silent Giants

The NBA is full of divas and superstars. Sometimes, their skill and talent are even secondary to their ability to stay in the national spotlight. Some of the NBA’s best coaches, such as Phil Jackson, Pat Riley, and Steve Kerr, have tended to get caught in the middle of drama. However, some players and coaches have strayed from the spotlight while still finding unbelievable success in the NBA. These individuals include the  San Antonio Spurs’ longtime coach, Gregg Popovich.

Before Popovich was the Spurs’ head coach, he was an assistant coach for the Spurs from 1988 to 1992 and for the Golden State Warriors from 1992 to 1994. He eventually became the Spurs’ general manager and on Dec. 10, 1996, boldly decided to fire the head coach at the time, Bob Hill, and promote himself to the head coach position. The Spurs finished 20-62 that season, miraculously winning the first overall pick in the 1997 draft and selecting Wake Forest’s Tim Duncan. Popovich’s legacy has been one of silent victory ever since.

As a coach uninterested in the media and national spotlight, Popovich has instead made his priority winning, winning, and more winning. As a head coach, he has coached 2,291 games, won 1,422, and lost 869: a 62.1 career winning percentage, the fifth highest among coaches with at least 800 games under their belt. His 1,422 wins are also the most total wins by any head coach. Popovich’s teams totaled over 230,000 points, 97,000 rebounds, 50,000 assists, 16,000 steals, and 12,000 blocks across his coaching career. From 1997 to 2017, excluding the labor dispute lockout in the 1998-1999 season, Popovich won at least 50 games each season. He won five NBA Championships and three Coach of the Year awards. Across the five major professional sports leagues in the United States, Popovich’s 29 years as a head coach are only bested by John McGraw’s 31 years for the New York Giants, George Halas’ 40 years for the Chicago Bears, and Connie Mack’s 50 years for the Philadelphia Athletics.

Beyond what the statistics tell us about his legacy, he has received glowing praise across the league in the wake of last Friday’s announcement that he would step down as head coach. Two of the six Hall of Fame players Popovich coached, David Robinson and Pau Gasol, have expressed gratitude for all Popovich has done for them throughout their careers. Other current and past stars, some players coached by Popovich and some not, praised the coach and his illustrious career, such as Kevin Garnett, Draymond Green, Victor Wembanyama, Antonio Daniels, Kawhi Leonard, and more.

While the NBA and many major news outlets covered his retirement, Popovich deserves more recognition and respect for his incredible tenure as the Spurs’ head coach. While he is stepping down to the role of president of basketball operations and will remain involved in the organization, he will be remembered as one of the unlikeliest icons in the history of basketball. Historically, to be great in the NBA has almost always meant taking the front stage 24/7, but Popovich didn’t, and neither did his stars. The Spurs’ culture has always centered on a team-first attitude, producing stars who put winning over personal glory. There was nothing glorious about their playstyle, like the “Lob City” Clippers or the 2017-2018 Houston Rockets, as a fundamentals and defense-oriented team. Popovich’s secretive way of coaching and developing winning players meant the Spurs were a tight-knit ship, and it’s a shame since his impressive history will likely be overlooked. As Popovich sinks even further from the national spotlight with his retirement, we should all celebrate “Coach Pop’s” historic tenure, even if Popovich doesn’t want to.