Spurs coach Gregg Popovich gets 1,336th win to break Don Nelson’s all-time NBA winning record

Gregg Popovich becomes the all-time winning head coach in the NBA with 1,336 wins.

Popovich surpassed Don Nelson, who previously held the record for most wins in NBA history, with San Antonio Spurs‘ 104-102 win Utah Jazz on Friday night.

“Very happy for Pop,” longtime Spurs guard Tony Parker told ESPN. “Very happy. It’s an achievement for helluva. Well deserved. It shows his hard work and longevity.”

Popovich, 73, is in his 26th season with the Spurs, the longest tenure of any head coach in all four major US sports leagues.

Protect All-Star Points Dejounte Murray Spurs said Spurs did not discuss Popovich completing the record but that the players were ready to celebrate the feat.

“Pop doesn’t like compliments,” says Murray. “He doesn’t like any of that. That’s a good thing. But you also want to remind him of his success because that’s rare. Because he’s a guy who just wants to focus. into victory and every day.He never put anything up to praise himself.

“We don’t talk about [the record], but we’ll definitely enjoy it when we get it for him because he’s a great man and he deserves it. He pushes all his players, whether you’re the first guy, the last guy, the G-League player, the 10 day contract, he’s hugged you since Day 1. He deserves it all. rank. “

Popovich, who was shortlisted for the NBA’s 15 Greatest Head Coaches of All Time in February, has won five championships and was named coach of the year three times. He has a record of 23 consecutive wins in the regular seasons and also has a streak of 22 consecutive playoffs.

After coaching at Pomona-Pitzer in Claremont, California, Popovich joined Larry Brown’s Spurs in 1988. After four seasons with the Spurs, Popovich joined Nelson’s staff at Golden State in 1992 as an assistant.

“He’s the greatest coach ever to make them successful,” Nelson told ESPN. “When I hired him as an assistant coach [in Golden State in 1992], I think he can learn something from me. But I learned more from him than he learned from me, that’s for sure. “

Popovich worked for Golden State for two seasons before returning to San Antonio as General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations in 1994.

During the 1996-97 season, Popovich returned to the bench, taking over as head coach, where he has remained ever since.

Milwaukee head coach Mike Budenholzer, who spent 17 seasons as Spurs assistant coach, said. “If you want to do top three or Mount Rushmore [of coaches], I don’t think there is any doubt as to where he is and where he belongs. Success, consistency and longevity, and his impact on the organization as a whole, on individual players, on coaches, on GMs, on scouts, on equipment, for family. He’s had a huge impact in so many ways, beyond the wins and the matches, the championships and all that.

“Just the consistency to have it, not now, but in 20 years of being a championship contender, playing for championships and knockouts, I just think you’ll never see that. that again from an organization, from a coach, that moderator, the [New England] Patriots are the same way, I think that’s what I know that I’m probably the most amazed. “

With the Spurs in the midst of rebuilding, wins are even tougher for Popovich this season. But those close to him point out that this is just another example of his greatness – his ability to adapt to the times, change the game as well as the talent and skill of his squad. that.

“I think he’s adjusted, he’s adapted,” Hall of Fame center David Robinson told ESPN. “He won in different circumstances with a mixture of different teams. We were a dominant defensive team, to [the teams] with Kawhi [Leonard] and all of those guys, they’re dominant in terms of attack. They had a great combination [on both sides]. And even now, you see how he’s had to adjust to a very, very different team.

“I think that’s what makes him great. How do you win 67% of games or whatever in 25 years? It’s ridiculous. That’s amazing.”

Popovich has long earned respect from his players and colleagues. Aside from his coaching success, Popovich has always been vocal about what he believes in, advocating social justice and racial equality.

And though Popovich has now won more games than any other NBA coach, some of his players and staff also remember how he did some of his best work after losing big by keep your team together.

After the loss in extra time in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals, when the Spurs lost in part to Ray Allen’s iconic 3-pointer, Popovich gathered his team for dinner in Miami and comforted each player. his destruction. The Heat have beaten the Spurs in seven games, but San Antonio is back to beat them in the Finals next season.

“After losing game 6 when he almost won the championship, his saying was [often], ‘Together win. Lose it together. Humans have to eat. ‘ So we ate together,” longtime Spurs striker Manu Ginobili told ESPN. We talked and cried together, and we looked at each other and he went table by table with different players, chatting and trying to cheer us up when we were devastated. It’s another great example of leadership and trying to keep us together and optimistic about the next thing or trying to figure out the answers. “

Marc Spears, Dave McMenamin, Brian Windhorst and Baxter Holmes of ESPN contributed to this report.