Gregg Popovich signs five-year contract extension with the San Antonio Spurs ‘worth more than $80 million’ – just weeks after Victor Wembanyama’s landing
Gregg Popovich has signed a five-year contract extension with the San Antonio Spurs.
The NBA’s all-time winningest coach remains head coach and president of the team, the franchise announced Saturday.
His new deal is worth more than $80 million, ESPN reported shortly after the news.
There was much speculation about the future of the 74-year-old Popovich after nearly three decades with the team.
But after the team had the chance to field Victor Wembanyama last month, it was believed the five-time champion would continue to coach.
Gregg Popovich has signed a five-year contract extension with the San Antonio Spurs
Follow MailSport on Threads here: https://www.threads.net/@mailsport
Popovich took over as coach of the Spurs in December 1996. He has won 1,366 games – 31 more than Don Nelson, who was the career leader before Popovich caught him.
He is also third in playoff wins with 170, behind only Phil Jackson (229) and Pat Riley (171). And Popovich is one of only five coaches with at least five championships; Jackson won 11, Red Auerbach won nine and Popovich is in a pool with Riley and John Kundla as winners of five.
He will enter the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame next month.
Popovich spoke before the Spurs’ final game of the past season about how he’s been the “beneficiary of serendipity to the extreme” throughout his career.
That was even before San Antonio won the lottery and got the chance to draft Wembanyama, potentially following in the footsteps of David Robinson and Tim Duncan who came to the Spurs as No. 1 picks and became big men of the franchise.
But with Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili gone, the Spurs haven’t won a playoff series since 2017 and went 121-186 over the past four seasons, actually losing more games in the last four years than in the previous four seasons. previous years. eight years together.
The new deal comes just weeks after Victor Wembanyama landed in the NBA Draft
Those struggles, along with his age, fueled speculation that Popovich would choose to retire.
But Wembanyama comes to the NBA with the intention of becoming a superstar, an icon, a champion. And he’s about to be the star of the final – and perhaps final – phase of Popovich’s career.
In addition to all wins and the five titles, Popovich also won an Olympic gold medal at the 2021 Tokyo Games.
“He’s amazing,” said Golden State coach Steve Kerr, who played for and assisted Popovich on the national team. The Hall of Fame was just a formality. Everyone knew he would be there. It was just a matter of when.’
Follow MailSport on Threads here: https://www.threads.net/@mailsport