San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich is one win away from claiming the record for the coach with the most wins in NBA history. In the Spurs win over the Lakers, Popovich tied the legendary Don Nelson for the top spot with 1335 wins and will be looking to claim the record for himself in the Spurs’ upcoming game against the Utah Jazz.
The player most responsible for helping Popovich rack up these wins is Tim Duncan, who played his entire career under Pop and won 5 championships with him. Popovich was in his second season as head coach of the Spurs in 1997 when Duncan was drafted and the pair would form one of the greatest player-coach duos the league has ever seen.
Duncan would win 1001 games under Popovich, the most games a player-coach duo has ever won in the NBA. The league’s official Instagram handle provided an insight into this relationship with a video of Pop motivating Duncan after the pair had lost a game.
“It’s a great effort. Great job. All that matters is that you learn from this because, at the end of the year, we’re going to improve a hell of a lot more than they are. You just keep this in your head and remember this feeling right now. Don’t lose it.”
Popovich’s influence is seen around the league in terms of the numbers of former assistant coaches that now are head coaches around the league. This includes reigning NBA Champion head coach Mike Budenholzer.
Coach Pop is the owner of the longest consecutive playoff streak in NBA history, leading the Spurs to 22 consecutive playoff appearances before they missed out in the 2019-20 season. He has brought five banners to the city of San Antonio and will retire as the coach with the most wins in NBA history.
