Gregg Popovich became the winningest coach in the history of the NBA after the San Antonio Spurs beat the Utah Jazz on Friday night. Coach Pop has won 5 NBA championships in his career and led the San Antonio Spurs into the playoffs on a consistent basis for most of his career. He has coached some of the most consistent and solid teams the NBA has ever seen in that time.
And when the time came to accept the credit for this amazing record, Pop unsurprisingly deferred it to the many people in the organization that have helped make this possible for him. Pop coached some of the most unselfish stars of all time, players like Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan who sacrificed for team success, so it’s no surprise that this is how he reacted to a personal milestone.
“Well, I guess it’s obvious what happened but it’s just a testament to a whole lot of people. Something like this does not belong to just one individual. You know, basketball is a team sport, and you know, you preach to your players that they have to do it together and that’s certainly been the case in my life.
“All the wonderful players, coaches, staff that I’ve been blessed with. The support from this city. The fans have supported us no matter what. All of us share in this record. it’s not mine, it’s ours, because of all those people in the city that I just mentioned.”
The Spurs aren’t really in the playoff race but they still have great love for Popovich and everything he has brought to the city of San Antonio. Pop is unlikely to remain coach for too long so it’s important for Spurs fans and indeed, fans of the NBA, to appreciate his greatness while they still can!
