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If this reads like an obituary, it’s because the NBA lost the only coach that’s godfathered decades of league DNA.
On Friday morning, the San Antonio Spurs announced that the longtime head coach and cornerstone of its franchise, Gregg Popovich, would step away from coaching and serve as team president full time. Former assistant-turned-interim coach Mitch Johnson was named as Popovich’s successor.
Popovich’s resume could fill a filing cabinet with double-sided pages using an eight-point font. Twenty-nine seasons as a head coach. Four Hall-of-Famers (soon to be five with Kawhi Leonard) were fixtures during his coaching stint. Five championships. Four-time NBA All-Star coach. Three-time NBA Coach of the Year.
The league evolved — and at times revolved — around him. Per the Associated Press, there were 303 coaching changes league wide during his time served. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault noted Friday something that many of his myriad of peers seemingly would, too: Popovich’s style was trailblazing.
MUSSATTO: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander could become OKC Thunder's third NBA MVP in past 12 seasons
“The humanity that he coached with, I think, was a real tone setter,” Daigneault said of Popovich on Friday. “Whereas coaching sometimes is seen as this, like, you sleep in your office, you drink your coffee, you hold the players accountable, you do your job. He kind of transcends that with the types of relationships that he builds with the players.
“There's a pressure, I think, that you have to play the role of the coach, like it's a character that you have to play, and you have to be tough, and you have to be whatever. And he's tough, and there's a level of accountability, but there's also a level of authenticity to the way that he does the job that I think shows that you can operate like that and still have massive success like he did.”
There’s room for “tough” on Pop’s eventual tombstone. Curt responses to reporters, whether prompted by mid-game disappointment or postgame fire, became recognized as his charm. His stern look was signature.
He coached long enough to keep things light, too. He fouled Shaquille O’Neal five seconds into the 2008-09 season, flashing a smile and two thumbs up the big man’s way to let him know the Hack-a-Shaq was alive and well. He toyed and wiped his nose with the late Craig Sager’s suits.
Daigneault doesn’t claim to know Popovich well personally, though to know the modern NBA is to know Popovich to some degree. Inside the comfort of Daigneault’s own building, several of the brains making the machine go once did so in San Antonio.
Thunder general manager Sam Presti’s time there molded the thoughts he shares with Daigneault, and the pair routinely sit on the same page.
More: Gregg Popovich's impact on the Spurs and NBA was immense. Six ways he left his footprint.
In his final season, Popovich was complimentary of Daigneault. Warm, as he’d been to countless coaches over the years.
“Sammy (Presti) made a great choice, as he has in many instances, and that's why I hate him,” Popovich joked. “He saw in Mark discipline, accountability, knowledge, a demeanor — all those things. He saw how players respected him. And being strong enough to not just go get a name somewhere is a great credit to him.”
Said Daigneault: “It's always interesting when you're one of the younger coaches in the league, coaching a rebuilding team, to see how people treat you. And the grace and dignity and respect that (Popovich) showed somebody in that position that he didn't need to really — he's kind of above that if he wanted to be — I always just really appreciated that about him.”
Look around. The embrace of international players, with San Antonio housing one of the league’s largest as always. The methodology of NBA development. The faces on benches league wide.
Popovich has influence in every corner of the NBA, a disciple at every turn. The spirit of Popovich might not truly leave the league for generations, if ever at all.
“Looking around the league now, almost every organization has a Spurs influence, no more than us,” Daigneault said. “But the way that that program and organization kind of spawned off into — I mean, they've literally changed the league. He's changed the league.”
More: NBA playoff bracket: 2025 schedule, times, scores, TV for second-round series
Joel Lorenzi covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joel? He can be reached at [email protected] or on X/Twitter at @joelxlorenzi. Support Joel's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Gregg Popovich's impact felt across NBA, including with OKC Thunder
Continue reading...
On Friday morning, the San Antonio Spurs announced that the longtime head coach and cornerstone of its franchise, Gregg Popovich, would step away from coaching and serve as team president full time. Former assistant-turned-interim coach Mitch Johnson was named as Popovich’s successor.
Popovich’s resume could fill a filing cabinet with double-sided pages using an eight-point font. Twenty-nine seasons as a head coach. Four Hall-of-Famers (soon to be five with Kawhi Leonard) were fixtures during his coaching stint. Five championships. Four-time NBA All-Star coach. Three-time NBA Coach of the Year.
The league evolved — and at times revolved — around him. Per the Associated Press, there were 303 coaching changes league wide during his time served. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault noted Friday something that many of his myriad of peers seemingly would, too: Popovich’s style was trailblazing.
MUSSATTO: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander could become OKC Thunder's third NBA MVP in past 12 seasons
“The humanity that he coached with, I think, was a real tone setter,” Daigneault said of Popovich on Friday. “Whereas coaching sometimes is seen as this, like, you sleep in your office, you drink your coffee, you hold the players accountable, you do your job. He kind of transcends that with the types of relationships that he builds with the players.
“There's a pressure, I think, that you have to play the role of the coach, like it's a character that you have to play, and you have to be tough, and you have to be whatever. And he's tough, and there's a level of accountability, but there's also a level of authenticity to the way that he does the job that I think shows that you can operate like that and still have massive success like he did.”
There’s room for “tough” on Pop’s eventual tombstone. Curt responses to reporters, whether prompted by mid-game disappointment or postgame fire, became recognized as his charm. His stern look was signature.
He coached long enough to keep things light, too. He fouled Shaquille O’Neal five seconds into the 2008-09 season, flashing a smile and two thumbs up the big man’s way to let him know the Hack-a-Shaq was alive and well. He toyed and wiped his nose with the late Craig Sager’s suits.
Daigneault doesn’t claim to know Popovich well personally, though to know the modern NBA is to know Popovich to some degree. Inside the comfort of Daigneault’s own building, several of the brains making the machine go once did so in San Antonio.
Thunder general manager Sam Presti’s time there molded the thoughts he shares with Daigneault, and the pair routinely sit on the same page.
More: Gregg Popovich's impact on the Spurs and NBA was immense. Six ways he left his footprint.
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In his final season, Popovich was complimentary of Daigneault. Warm, as he’d been to countless coaches over the years.
“Sammy (Presti) made a great choice, as he has in many instances, and that's why I hate him,” Popovich joked. “He saw in Mark discipline, accountability, knowledge, a demeanor — all those things. He saw how players respected him. And being strong enough to not just go get a name somewhere is a great credit to him.”
Said Daigneault: “It's always interesting when you're one of the younger coaches in the league, coaching a rebuilding team, to see how people treat you. And the grace and dignity and respect that (Popovich) showed somebody in that position that he didn't need to really — he's kind of above that if he wanted to be — I always just really appreciated that about him.”
Look around. The embrace of international players, with San Antonio housing one of the league’s largest as always. The methodology of NBA development. The faces on benches league wide.
Popovich has influence in every corner of the NBA, a disciple at every turn. The spirit of Popovich might not truly leave the league for generations, if ever at all.
“Looking around the league now, almost every organization has a Spurs influence, no more than us,” Daigneault said. “But the way that that program and organization kind of spawned off into — I mean, they've literally changed the league. He's changed the league.”
More: NBA playoff bracket: 2025 schedule, times, scores, TV for second-round series
Joel Lorenzi covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joel? He can be reached at [email protected] or on X/Twitter at @joelxlorenzi. Support Joel's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Gregg Popovich's impact felt across NBA, including with OKC Thunder
Continue reading...
