Gregg Popovich recently became the highest-winning coach in NBA history after securing a San Antonio Spurs win over the Utah Jazz on Friday night. The veteran head coach recorded the 1,336th win of his career, surpassing Don Nelson, who previously held the record.
Pop had a lot to say about his record, threatening to make his players run suicides and take shots in their free time. He has faced incredible rivals during his honored career, with some making a bigger impression on him than others.
Los Angeles Lakers late icon Kobe Bryant was one of those that constantly amazed the 73-year-old when they go at it. Back in 2017, Popovich had big praise for the Black Mamba, calling him a dream player for every coach on earth, while also naming him one of the greatest players of all time.
“Kobe is one of those guys that every coach in the world says, ‘That would have been great to have an opportunity to coach that guy,” Pop said about Kobe, per Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times.
“One of the greatest players of all time. It’s not just his talent or his physical skills. His mind was on a par with Michael and Larry and Magic, guys like that. They thought the game, they knew what was going on.”
Even though some people don’t think that Bryant did enough to be considered a top 10 player of all time or a top-5 Lakers player of all time, the shooting guard left a huge mark on the game, and nobody forgets about that. Pop always had the utmost respect for KB24, and these words perfectly summed up he was on Bryant.
Just like Kob, Pop keeps making records in the league, and this one will be hard to surpass if the San Antonio Spurs legend keeps adding wins to his resume.
