It’s not that he’s the winningest coach in NBA history. It’s not how he created a culture in San Antonio that continues to grow as the next generation of enter the fold. It’s not who he is at his core. It’s all of that and then some.
From time to time, we have to remind ourselves just how remarkable a man Gregg Popovich is. How amazing a coach he was. And how dominating a career he maintained for the better part of three decades.
And these reminders aren’t simply for those of us fortunate enough to
witness the greatness in real time. This is for the younger fans who are just now learning about the Spurs, understanding what made the team special before Victor Wembanyama, Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell, Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, and Carter Bryant were drafted.
Things like this:
Over his illustrious career, Pop won 170 playoff games as head coach of the San Antonio Spurs. More than the grand total for 20 NBA franchises. That is twenty teams (out of the twenty-nine that didn’t have Gregg Popovich as head coach) that as a franchise have not won more NBA playoff games than he did.
Only the Lakers, Celtics, 76ers, Hawks, Warriors, Bulls, Pistons, Knicks, and Thunder have won more. But that takes into account their franchise history. The Lakers, Celtics, 76ers, Hawks, Warriors, and Knicks starting competing in 1946. The Pistons have been in Detroit since 1957. The Bulls joined in 1966, and the SuperSonics in 1967.
If we limit the timeline to the same year that Gregg Popovich anointed himself head coach (the 1996-1997 season), then he has clearly bested each and every team the NBA threw at him.
• The Lakers (his closest rival) have won 169,
•The Celtics have won 160,
•The Hawks have won 57,
•The Warriors have won 118,
•The 76ers have won 79,
•The Bulls have won 70,
•The Pistons have won 89,
•The Knicks have won 80,
•The Thunder/SuperSonics combined have won 104 (90 as the Thunder and 14 the SuperSonics won from 1997 until the move to OKC).
From 1997 to 2025, no one won more playoff games than the Spurs. And considering the Spurs did not make the playoffs in 1997 or after 2019, El Jefe’s numbers pop (see what I did there) even more.
There are so many ways to point out Popovich’s greatness. This is just one. But it is important to note. The Spurs are at the dawn of a new era. In their first trip into the postseason since the pandemic, the Spurs made it to the Finals.
It’s time to lift your heads up and prepare to root for a great year. The foundation was laid years ago when a coach from Pamona-Pitzer caught the eye of Larry Brown. At the time no one knew, but that relationship changed the trajectory of the San Antonio Spurs and the NBA.
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