What Makes Gregg Popovich a Great Basketball Coach?

Over the last two decades, the San Antonio Spurs have cultivated a culture of winning, teamwork, and discipline. Many fans, players, and basketball pundits think of the Spurs as the epitome of team play, an enviable franchise that always manages to get into the playoffs. And most of the praise funnels toward one man: coach Gregg Popovich.

Popovich is deemed by many as a coach’s coach. He is feisty, indefatigable, and truly ingenious. He was able to establish a solid system that many NBA teams today try to emulate when making future-conscious decisions regarding player acquisition, trading, and even playing-time management.

The pairing of a healthy David Robinson and then future star Tim Duncan resulted in the team’s first championship in the Popovich era. That was in 1999; it would be the beginning of a remarkable and consecutive Spurs’ string of seasons in which the team finished with an above .500 record. It now stands at 20 and is, in itself, an NBA record that would be very difficult to tie much, less top. The Spurs have likewise won five championships since Popovich took the helm.

Image source: thenation.com

A lot of people speculate that the last few years of Popovich’s coaching career is nearing. This isn’t helped by the imminent retirement of Manu Ginobili, the departure of Tony Parker, and, of course, the whole drama that brought Kawhi Leonard to Toronto. Popovich also had to contend with the recent death of his wife. Yes, he may decide to call it quits soon. And that’s understandable. But his coaching legacy is already etched in stone.

Stephen Varanko III is an honor student and avid athlete who previously served as the captain of Randolph Macon Academy’s varsity lacrosse, cross-country, and basketball teams. For more info on Stephen and his interests, follow this link.