After a 29-year career as head coach of the San Antonio Spurs and five NBA title victories, Gregg Popovich announced Friday that he’d be stepping away from his on-court duties to begin a new role with the team as president of basketball operations, ending arguably the greatest coaching career in the history of the NBA.
“BREAKING: Gregg Popovich will no longer be Head Coach of the San Antonio Spurs and is transitioning full-time to Team President, sources told ESPN,” ESPN’s Shams Charania shared via Twitter/X on Friday afternoon.
“The iconic Popovich is a Basketball Hall of Famer, the NBA’s all-time winningest coach, and led the Spurs to five championships.”
In conjunction with the shocking announcement, the 76-year-old also decided to share his appreciation for the organization and the city of San Antonio for sticking with him on his remarkable journey to becoming one of the most influential figures in league history in brief statement released on Friday.
“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 am excited for the opportunity to continue to support the organization, community and city that are so meaningful to me.”
Popovich’s all-time figure of 1,422 regular season wins sits atop the NBA leaderboard for most in a coaching career, and the Spurs made it to the postseason for a record 22 consecutive times from 1998-2019, all with the same leading man holding the clipboard.
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As Popovich moves to a job in a front office capacity with San Antonio, he leaves role as head coach of the Spurs as one of the most decorated lead strategists not only in NBA history, but in the history of North American sports.
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