What does the long-serving Spurs former head coach Gregg Popovich leave?

The 76-year-old coach oversaw 1,422 regular-season victories – the most by a head coach in NBA history – and led the Spurs to five NBA championships, most recently in 2014. He will now transition into the role of president of basketball operations at the organization.

"While my love and passion for the game remain, I've decided it's time to step away as head coach," said Popovich.

"I'm forever grateful to the wonderful players, coaches, staff, and fans who allowed me to serve them as the Spurs head coach, and I am excited for the opportunity to continue to support the organization, community, and city that are so meaningful to me."

He has not been on the sidelines of the Spurs' bench recently due to a mild stroke. In his absence, the Spurs failed to reach the 2025 NBA playoffs – they have not played in the postseason since 2019 – after finishing the regular season with a 34-48 record.

Ballerzone Africa will take you back to see how Popovich contributed to the Spurs as a legendary coach of all time in NBA history.

Popovich arrived in San Antonio in 1988 as an assistant coach, and after a two-year spell with the Golden State Warriors, returned to the Spurs as head coach in 1996.

Before being a professional coach, Popovich played basketball from Merrillville High School to the Air Force Academy, where he played four seasons, was team captain and leading scorer his senior year, graduated with a bachelor's degree in Soviet Studies, and served five years in the Air Force. He also played basketball with the U.S. Armed Forces Team and in 1972 was named captain of the Armed Forces Team, which won the AAU championship. This earned him an invitation to the 1972 U.S. Olympic team training camp. He began his coaching career as an assistant at the Air Force Academy in 1973.

In 1979, he was named head coach of Pomona-Pitzer’s men’s basketball team and began his professional coaching career in 1987, coaching the Golden State Warriors before taking over the San Antonio Spurs, where he has won five NBA championships. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was the longest-serving active coach in any major US sport.

Popovich is the all-time winningest coach with 1,388 wins, and his résumé includes five championship rings with the Spurs, the only ones the franchise, originally from the ABA, has won in its long history: 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014.

Popovich coached the Dream Team that won the gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic) and oversaw a significant era of NBA expansion, featuring many non-American players who helped sustain the team in recent years.

By Dylan Mugenga