At 73-years-old, with over 20 years of experience as a head coach, the end is in sight for Gregg Popovich.
After breaking the record for All-Time coaching wins on Friday, the entire NBA erupted in celebration and Pop made sure to show his appreciation to the city.
“It’s just a testament to a whole lot of people,” Popovich said. “Something like this does not belong to one individual. Basketball’s a team sport. You preach to your players that they have to do it together and that’s certainly been the case in my life with all the wonderful players and coaches, the staff that I’ve been blessed with, the support of this wonderful city. The fans support us no matter what. All of us share in this record. It’s not mine. It’s ours, here in the city.”
Meanwhile, the Spurs are already thinking about who might come to replace him.
According to Marc Stein, there are whispers that Jazz coach Quin Snyder could be the guy.
“More and more, I hear Snyder’s name as a potential Pop successor that the Spurs would naturally relish.”
Quin Snyder is a potential candidate to replace Gregg Popovich, per @TheSteinLine
“More and more, I hear Snyder's name as a potential Pop successor that the Spurs would naturally relish.”
(Via https://t.co/kX6Dg110S5) pic.twitter.com/2Na8FmIU2W
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 13, 2022
For the past 8 years, Snyder has been coaching a deep and talented Jazz team. Despite some playoff failures, Utah has been an upper-seeded playoff team for years now and are once again near the top of the standings. His record so far is 365-256.
While he has shown no indication of wanting out of his current situation, his relationship with Pop has always been described as positive.
So, as an experienced coach and effective leader, Snyder certainly seems like a solid choice to usher in the next generation of Spurs basketball. But whether or not they’ll be able to lure him away from Utah remains to be seen…
