Greg Popovich became the all-time NBA winning coach with 1,336 wins.
Popovich outpaced Don Nelson, who previously held the record for most regular season wins, with the San Antonio Spurs winning 104-102 over the visiting Utah Jazz on Friday night.
“It’s just a testament to a large group of people,” Popovich said. “Something like that doesn’t belong to one individual. Basketball is a team sport. You preach to your players that they have to do it together and that’s definitely the case in my life with all the wonderful players and coaches, and the apparatus I work with” God has blessed this wonderful city, The masses support us no matter what.
“We all share that record. It’s not mine. It’s ours, here in town.”
Spurs released a video from Nelson after the match, congratulating Popovic – who he described as one of his close friends – and telling him how proud he is of his former assistant’s accomplishments “and all the great things you’ve done for basketball, all over the world.”
“I’m so proud of you that you did,” Nelson said. “I couldn’t wait for this day to happen. And I just want you to know as one of my best friends in life, and I wish you the best for the remaining years in the NBA.”
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San Antonio Spurs 12 March 2022
Popovic, 73, is in his 26th season with Tottenham, the longest streak of any head coach in all of the four major US sports leagues.
“Greg Popovich’s success with Tottenham is unprecedented in our league, so it is only fitting that he now holds the record for most career wins,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.
“His leadership and unwavering commitment to the game are widely admired by generations of players and coaches alike. Congratulations to Coach Bob on this latest achievement in his legendary career.”
After the match, Popovic received the match ball by the Tottenham All-Star goalkeeper Dignity Murray In a joyful celebration locker room.
“You deserve it, Coach Bob, we all love you and we’re so glad we’re here to be able to enjoy this moment with you,” said Murray, presenting the ball to Popovich in memory of this achievement.
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San Antonio Spurs 12 March 2022
Murray had previously said that Tottenham had not discussed closing Babovic, but added that the players were ready to celebrate the achievement.
“Pop doesn’t like praise,” Murray said. “He doesn’t like any of that. It’s kind of a good thing. But you also want to remind him of his success because it’s rare. Because he’s a guy who just wants to focus on winning and every day. Anything to compliment himself.”
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‘We’re not talking about [the record], but we’re sure we’ll enjoy him when we get it for him because he’s such a great guy and he deserves it. He pushes all his players, whether you’re the first, last, or G-League player, with a 10-day contract, he’s embracing you from day one. He deserves it all.”
Long-time Spurs goalkeeper Tony Parker also offered his early congratulations to his former coach.
“Very happy for pop music,” Parker told ESPN. “Very happy. This is a great achievement. Well deserved. It shows his hard work ethic and his longevity.”
Popovich, who was named one of the 15 best coaches in the NBA in February, won five championships and three Coach of the Year awards. He has a record of 23 straight regular season of wins and also has a streak of 22 consecutive playoffs.
After training at Pomona Bitzer in Claremont, California, Popovich joined Larry Brown’s staff at Tottenham in 1988. After four seasons with Tottenham, Popovich joined Nelson’s staff at Golden State in 1992 as an assistant.
“He’s the greatest coach that has ever tapped them,” Nelson told ESPN. “When I hired him as an assistant coach, I thought he could learn something from me. But I learned more from him than he learned from me, that’s for sure.”
He’s the fourth coach, going back to the end of the first season of the NBA, to stand at the top of the winning list. Red Auerbach held the label for about half a century, followed by Lenny Wilkens, followed by Nelson – and now Popovich.
The ironic thing about this is that Nellie gave me a job when I didn’t have one in ’92. He took me. Being in that position, like his breath, is in my opinion so unworthy and so embarrassing because he was so great at saving a donkey,” Popovich said. My family. So, ironically, I am sitting here in this situation.”
Popovich worked with Golden State for two seasons before returning to San Antonio as General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations in 1994.
During the 1996-97 season, Popovic returned to the bench, and took over as head coach, where he has been ever since.
“It’s like a no-brainer,” said Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer, who spent 17 seasons as Spurs’ assistant coach. “If you want to do the top three or Mt. Rushmore [of coaches]I don’t think there is any doubt about his whereabouts and where he belongs. Success, consistency, longevity and the impact it had on an entire organization, on individual players, on coaches, on general managers, on scouts, on equipment guys, on families. He’s been incredibly influential in so many ways that go beyond wins, games, tournaments and all of that stuff.
“Just the consistency of getting it, not now, but for 20 years to be a tournament contender, playing in tournaments and playoffs, I don’t think you’ll ever see that again from one organisation, from one coach. That run, the [New England] Patriots are kind of like, I think that’s the thing I know I’m probably most intimidating about.”
With Spurs in the process of rebuilding, the wins have been tougher for Popovic this season. But those close to him point out that this is just another example of his greatness – his adaptability with the times, the game-changing talent and skills on his roster.
“I think he’s adapted, he has adapted,” David Robinson of the Hall of Fame told ESPN. “He won under different conditions with different mixes of teams. We were a dominant defensive team, to [the teams] with Kohi [Leonard] And all of these guys, they were offensively dominant. They had a nice combination [on both sides]. And yet, you see how he’s had to adapt to a very different team.
“I think that’s what made it so cool. How do you win 67% of your matches or whatever it has been for 25 years? It’s ridiculous. It’s really amazing.”
Popovic has always been respected by his players and peers. Besides his coaching success, Popovic has always been outspoken about what he believes in, taking positions for social justice and racial equality.
And while Popovich has now won more games than any other coach in the NBA, some of his players and staff also remember how he did some of his best work after heavy losses by keeping his team together.
After losing overtime in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals, when Tottenham lost in part to Ray Allen’s iconic 3-point shot, Popovich gathered his side for dinner in Miami and consoled each of his smashed players. The Heat have beaten Tottenham in seven games, but San Antonio bounced back to defeat them in the Finals next season.
“After losing match 6 when he almost won the championship, his phrase was so [often]”Win it together. We lose it together. The man has to eat. So we ate together,” long-time Tottenham striker Manu Ginobili told ESPN. Different players, had conversations and tried to cheer us up when I was devastated. This was another great example of leadership and trying to bring us together and being optimistic about the next stage or trying to find answers.”
ESPN’s Mark Spears, Dave McMenamin, Brian Windhurst, Baxter Holmes and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
