Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Gregg Popovich stepping down as coach of the NBA San Antonio Spurs after 29 seasons marks the end of an era, but can’t dampen the inspiration he gave so many players. That was the reaction from some of the athletes whom Popovich guided as coach of the Spurs, including French star Victor Wembanyama, the 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year.
“29 years. Coach, thank you for your wisdom, for your leadership, for the culture you created… But most importantly for being a great and inspiring person,” Wembanyama posted on social media site X. “It was an honor to be a part of those 29 years. Wishing you the best on your new chapter.”
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Popovich, 76, will be the Spurs’ president of basketball operations. The move comes after a mild stroke last November that kept him from coaching San Antonio most of this past season.
“Shout out to Pop… hell of a coaching career!” posted retired NBA star forward Kevin Garnett, a 2000 Sydney Olympic gold medal winner and 2008 NBA champion with Boston. Antonio Daniels, a guard whose 13 NBA seasons included playing on the first of Popovich’s NBA title teams back in 1999, called out the winner of a record 1,422 NBA games as the top coach ever in the league.
“The greatest coach in the history of the league. This is truly the end of an era!!” Daniels posted on social media. Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey, who just finished his third NBA campaign, agreed, calling Popovich “one of the greats… 5 NBA championship rings… legendary run” and closed his X post with the goat emoji symbolizing “Greatest of All Time.”
Popovich, who also guided the US team of NBA stars to Tokyo Olympic gold, was praised by NBA commissioner Adam Silver for his longevity and quality guiding an NBA club since 1996. Silver said Popovich’s “sustained success as head coach of the San Antonio Spurs is incomparable.”
“Coach Pop has developed generations of players and coaches and been a driving force behind the global growth of basketball. There are few people in the basketball community as beloved and revered as Coach Pop. We thank him for his extraordinary leadership and commitment to our sport and wish him well as he embarks on his new role with the Spurs organization.”
© 2024 AFP
