San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is the highest-paid coach in the league. This comes on the back of speculations of his retirement as he heads into his 27th season as the head coach.
Popovich has been labeled as the greatest coach of all time, and the salary that he makes serves as ample proof of his conquests. He holds the distinction of being the longest-tenured coach of the Spurs after taking the role in 1996.
The Indiana-born, nicknamed ‘Coach Pop’ leads the list of highest-paid coaches with $11.5 million. Behind him is Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors with $9.5 million. Tied in third place are Doc Rivers of the Philadelphia 76ers and Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat with $8.5 million.
The other coaches with substantial salary figures are Mike Budenholzer (Milwaukee Bucks), Steve Nash (Brooklyn Nets), and Nick Nurse (Toronto Raptors), with $8 million each.
Highest-paid NBA coaches in the 2022-23 season 💰
Gregg Popovich: $11.5M
Steve Kerr: $9.5M
Doc Rivers: $8.5M
Erik Spoelstra: $8.5M
Mike Budenholzer: $8M
Nick Nurse: $8M
Steve Nash: $8M#NBA #Spurs #Warriors #Sixers #Heat #Bucks #Raptors #Nets pic.twitter.com/qDqTCINMBa
— Fadeaway World (@FadeawayWorld) September 23, 2022
Popovich surpassed Phil Jackson for most consecutive winning seasons in the league’s history after he led the Spurs to a winning record in his first 22 full seasons as the franchise’s head coach.
Adding to this feat was when he became the ninth coach to win 1,000 games when the Spurs defeated the Indiana Pacers 95–93. He and Jerry Sloan are the only two coaches in NBA history to win 1,000 games with one franchise.
The 73-year-old also holds the unique distinction of being one of the only five coaches in the NBA to have won five titles. He even served as the head coach of the US National team at the 2020 Summer Olympics, where the team took the gold.
Speculations around his retirement are rife as he enters into the final year of his three-year contract with the franchise. Although nothing has been made official yet, there’s a question going around about whether this might be his last dance. The Spurs start their campaign against the Charlotte Hornets on October 19.
