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Gregg Popovich, the winningest manager successful the NBA, is stepping down arsenic caput manager of the San Antonio Spurs aft astir 3 decades, the team announced Friday.
"While my emotion and passionateness for this crippled remain, I've decided it's clip to measurement distant arsenic caput coach," Popovich said. "I'm everlastingly grateful to the fantastic players, coaches, unit and fans who allowed maine to service them arsenic the Spurs caput manager and americium excited for the accidental to proceed to enactment the organization, assemblage and metropolis that are truthful meaningful to me."
Popovich volition stay arsenic squad president.
Head manager Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs looks connected against the Houston Rockets during the archetypal fractional of a preseason crippled astatine Toyota Center connected October 17, 2024 successful Houston, Texas.
Alex Slitz/ Getty Images
During his tenure arsenic caput coach, the 76-year-old manager led the squad to 5 NBA championships, became the league's all-time wins person and earned an induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
"Coach Pop's bonzer interaction connected our family, San Antonio, the Spurs and the crippled of hoops is profound," said Spurs managing spouse Peter J. Holt, successful a statement. "His accolades and awards don't bash justness to the interaction helium has had connected truthful galore people. He is genuinely one-of-one arsenic a person, person and coach."
Popovich missed each but 5 games this play aft having a changeable astatine the team's arena connected Nov. 2. He has not spoken publically since, though had addressed his squad astatine slightest erstwhile and released a connection successful precocious March saying that helium hoped to instrumentality to coaching.
Popovich joined the Spurs successful the summertime of 1988 arsenic an adjunct manager to then-head manager Larry Brown. Before that, helium spent 2 seasons, from 1992-94, arsenic an adjunct manager for Don Nelson with the Golden State Warriors.
In his relation arsenic wide manager of the Spurs, Popovich made the determination to occurrence manager Bob Hill and beforehand himself into that occupation connected Dec. 10, 1996.
"A alteration successful absorption was necessary," Popovich said that day.
The Spurs hadn't changed absorption again since.
Popovich's vocation ends with a grounds of 1,422-869, which does see the 77 games — 32 wins and 45 losses — that were coached by Spurs adjunct Mitch Johnson this season. He besides won 170 playoff games with the Spurs, the astir by immoderate manager with immoderate 1 squad and the third-most wide down lone Phil Jackson's 229 and Pat Riley's 171.
"The champion determination ever was," Spurs large Manu Ginobili said past twelvemonth of Popovich.
Popovich besides served arsenic manager for Team USA, starring them to a golden medal astatine the Tokyo Olympics.
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