The Gregg Popovich era in San Antonio officially ended after the organization announced he would not come back as a coach for the team. The longtime head coach suffered a mild stroke in November and stepped away from the team in February. Mitch Johnson took over as interim head coach, and he was now officially promoted to a standard position. Popovich walks away from the game as the winningest coach in NBA history. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some memorable Gregg Popovich moments.
Top 7 Memorable Gregg Popovich Moments
Before stepping away from the game, Pop was the longest-tenured active coach in the league. Now, that title goes to Erik Spoelstra, with Steve Kerr following him. Over the year, Pop has delivered some iconic press conferences, in-game interviews, and everything in between. With the legendary coach stepping away, let’s dive into some of the most memorable Gregg Popovich moments.
The Beginning of an Era, December 10th, 1996
Bob Hill coached the San Antonio Spurs for two full seasons before Pop, then, as the general manager of the Spurs, fired him 18 games into the season. During the previous two seasons, the team went 59-23 and 62-20. They reached the Conference Semifinals and the Conference Finals.
At the start of the 1996-97 David Robinson didn’t play in the first several games. The Spurs went 3-15 before Pop had enough and fired Hill. The Admiral was just returning to the lineup when the change happened. However, Robinson battled injuries throughout the season before the organization shut him down after only six games. Pop went 17-47 the rest of the way. The reward for their awful season was Tim Duncan, and the rest, is history.
June 25, 1999, Pop Wins the First Title
Two years after the organization drafted Duncan, San Antonio beat New York 78-77 to win their first championship in five games. The previous year, the Spurs won 56 games and reached the Conference Semifinals. The 1998-99 season was shortened because of a lockout. The Spurs won 37 out of 50 games. En route to the title, they lost only two games, one to the Timberwolves in the first round, and one in the Finals against the Knicks. They swept the Los Angeles Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers in between.
Pop Pranks Shaq
Many viewed Pop as a serious coach, but he knew how to be playful. Pop and Shaquille O’Neal had lots of history during the Lakers-Spurs battles of the early 2000s. When Shaq played for the Phoenix Suns, Pop started the game with a Hack-A-Shaq strategy five seconds after the tip to play a joke on the center.
Craig Sager Interview
Gregg Popovic and Craig Sager had many memorable moments over the years. As a sideline reporter, Sager loved talking to Pop. This one, however, is different. At the time, Craig had been hospitalized and had battled Leukemia for months. When Sager finally returned to work, Popovich made sure to let him know how much he missed him and how big of an honor it was to work alongside him again. In a classic Pop fashion, he said,
“I’ve got to honestly tell you, this is the first time I’ve enjoyed doing this ridiculous interview we’re required to do. And it’s because you’re here and you’re back with us.”
Nobody Is Happy
More than 10 years have passed since this legendary interview, but it remains one of the most memorable Gregg Popovich moments. On November 1st, 2012, David Aldridge worked as a sideline reporter and asked Pop how happy he was with the team’s shot selection.
“Happy? Happy is not a word we think about in the game. I don’t know how to judge happy. Nobody is happy!”
Pop Wins an Olympic Gold
Pop was famous for his military background. He played at the Air Force Academy, spent five years in active service, and toured for the US Armed Forces. The legendary coach was a big patriot, and always cherished the opportunity to coach the Men’s Basketball Team at the Olympics. On August 7th, 2021, he led the team to the fourth consecutive gold medal, beating France in the Finals 87-82. After the game, Pop talked about how special winning gold felt.
March 11, 2022, The Winningest Coach Ever
With the San Antonio Spurs beating the Utah Jazz 104-102, Pop became the all-time coaching win leader. He passed Don Nelson, who won 1,336 games. The Spurs coach retired with a record of 1,422-869 record, a 62.1% winning percentage.
Gregg Popovich was voted Coach of the Year three times and had 22 consecutive seasons with a winning record. That is the longest streak in NBA history.
Photo credit: © Scott Wachter-Imagn Images
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