“Whereas my love and keenness for the sport stay, I’ve determined it’s time to step away as head coach.”
Gregg Popovich was solely capable of coach 5 video games this season resulting from a stroke he suffered on November 2, and whereas his well being has recovered in such a manner that he’ll stay with the San Antonio Spurs group as their president, he’s seemingly retiring as a coach.
He’s the NBA’s all-time wins chief and unquestionably a Tier 1 coach, however does he deserve to take a seat atop that record?
The place Does Gregg Popovich Rank All-Time After Retirement?
On March 11, 2022, Popovich’s rebuilding Spurs beat a playoff-bound Utah Jazz crew, leading to his 1,336th profession win, a brand new NBA document. The victory was an ideal image of every little thing that he meant to the one franchise he ever coached – his crew rebounded from a 14-point third quarter with 40 factors within the remaining stanza, pulling out a win in a recreation that they trailed with below 90 seconds remaining.
Coach Pop transitions to Spurs President of Basketball Operations pic.twitter.com/q8HwqDTB53
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) Could 2, 2025
They made the suitable performs to shut the sport. They executed, dug in, and took care of enterprise. Would you count on the rest?
We are going to dig additional into Popovich’s profession, however let’s have a look at his competitors within the NBA’s higher echelon of teaching.
There are a minimum of a dozen head coaches who’ve elite résumés and will declare to belong on the league’s Mount Rushmore. Many have been nice on the job, however Popovich is one among three who actually revolutionized what it meant to be an amazing coach, an amazing mentor, and part of the material of the sport, and that’s the place this dialog begins and ends.
Purple Auerbach
The historical past of the NBA can’t be informed with out point out of the pre-merger Boston Celtics, a crew who gave us perhaps probably the most dominant run within the historical past {of professional} sports activities in North America.
Auerbach guided the C’s to 9 titles in his 20 years as their Head Coach, eight of which got here in a row (1958-66). He took over a struggling franchise that was a multitude of their first NBA season, posting a 22-46 document in 1950, however their fortunes modified the second Auerbach signed on (39-30 in his introductory season).
The resume is second to none, however a few of his numbers do want context. He entered an NBA that had 11 groups in it – 10 by the crew the season concluded as a result of Washington Capitols folding in the course of the season. His groups have been loaded with expertise and sure would have been profitable in any period resulting from his in-game savvy, however the lack of competitors and depth of expertise must be famous.
When it comes to legacy, Auerbach reigns supreme. He was inducted to the Corridor of Fame in 1969 and the Coach of the 12 months Award is known as in his honor. The story {of professional} basketball has to start out with the dynastic Celtics and that by no means occurs in the event that they don’t rent a revolutionary in Auerbach, the coach who primarily broke the colour barrier by choosing Chuck Cooper as the primary African American to be drafted into the league.
Phil Jackson
The Chicago Bulls made the playoffs in 5 straight seasons previous to elevating Jackson from assistant to move man upon firing Doug Collins. They have been a profitable franchise, however they couldn’t breakthrough and the franchise felt they wanted a tradition change in the event that they have been going to take that subsequent step.
Jackson led the Bulls to 55 wins in his first season and whereas they once more got here up brief (misplaced within the Japanese Convention Finals), that they had this Michael Jordan man who was very clearly destined to do nice issues.
He simply wanted to be unlocked.
After Jackson received his toes moist, the league was in bother. After that first season, the Bulls gained titles in 1991, 1992, and 1993, the primary three-peat since – yep, Auerbach’s Celtics.
Jordan took his abilities to the diamond for majority of two seasons following that run and whereas Chicago was unable to maintain the momentum, Jackson guided them to over 100 wins and saved them within the combine till Jordan returned to the hardwood on a full-time foundation forward of the 1996 season.
Championship
Championship
Championship
“Teaching” takes on many various appears. Jackson’s area of interest was in expertise administration, a energy that nobody has been capable of showcase at his stage within the historical past of the sport. After “The Final Dance” in Chicago, a loaded Lakers crew introduced him in to push the excessive.
Championship
Championship
Championship
Jackson’s X-and-O’s acumen was by no means questioned and that was actually a big half to him ending with 11 championships (2007 Corridor of Fame inductee) and a profession win share of 70.4%. What elevated him from nice to all-timer was his means to get probably the most out of his gamers in a singular manner.
May different coaches have walked in and gained video games in bunches with the rosters that Jackson had entry to? In all probability. May they’ve reached the postseason heights that he did with the variety of personalities and transferring items that he had management of that got here together with all of that on-court expertise?
Not an opportunity.
So the place does Pop fall on this group of three? In his 29 seasons, he gained 5 titles and 62.1% of his video games. That win share is spectacular, however it very a lot undershoots what he did throughout his time on the sidelines resulting from a rebuild that he was in the course of throughout his remaining seasons.
On the peak of his powers, Popovich’s numbers rank up there with anybody. From 2011-17, his Spurs gained 74.2% of their video games and have been routinely labeled because the gold normal. He valued continuity the best way Jackson did and excelled at placing his gamers in optimum conditions like Auerbach.
His longevity speaks for itself and helped him get inducted into the Corridor of Fame in 2023. He was a trailblazer like the opposite two coaches on this tier. He was well-known for having an open thoughts and his hiring of Becky Hammon was quintessential Pop – he wasn’t seeking to make historical past, he merely recognized a basketball thoughts that he needed on his employees and made it occur.
Hammon turned the primary lady to educate an NBA Summer season League recreation and later turned the primary Russian and the primary lady to face on an NBA sideline as a head coach on December 30, 2020, a recreation wherein Popovich was ejected.
I might by no means fault you for rating these three in any order. The historical past of this recreation we love wouldn’t be practically the identical for those who subtracted any one among them and the franchises they touched skilled runs that only a few skilled franchises ever will. If we’re mixing total success with longevity and manufacturing over substitute, I’ve them stacked up like this:
Phil Jackson
Gregg Popovich
Purple Auerbach
These three For individuals of a sure age (myself included), the game of basketball has at all times had both Phil Jackson or Gregg Popovich linked to a franchise as an lively head coach. Pop’s retiring closes that chapter, however this Spurs crew is ultra-talented and together with his fingerprints nonetheless prone to be on this franchise (to not point out the teaching tree that he’s produced), his influence on the Nationwide Basketball Affiliation is much from over.
