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The Phoenix Suns have several connections to San Antonio Spurs legend Gregg Popovich over the past three decades.
After battling health issues that sidelined him for most of the 2024-25 season since November, the NBA's all-time winningest coach stepped down on Friday, May 2. He's the league's longest-tenured coach ever with one team, 29 years, winning five titles. He will continue with the franchise as Spurs' president of basketball operations.
Here are four ex-Suns coaches and a former general manager who came up under Popovich.
This seemed like a match made in heaven for the Suns when they hired Popovich's former 17-year assistant coach Mike Budenholzer in May 2024. For the past two seasons, the Suns' front office wanted a championship-caliber coach. Budenholzer was on Popovich's coaching staff for four titles that San Antonio won from 1999 to 2007. The Suns are Budenholzer's home state team, he's a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, and led the Milwaukee Bucks to the 2021 title. But after a disastrous 36-win season and missing the playoffs, "Bud" was fired on April 14, the day after their final regular-season loss at the Sacramento Kings.
From 2019-22, Williams quickly rose in Suns history, holding the franchise's third-highest winning percentage (.628) among its coaches behind Mike D'Antoni and Paul Westphal at the top. Williams lost in the 2021 finals to Budenholzer's Bucks and led the Suns to their most ever 64 wins and the No. 1 overall playoff seed during the 2021-22 season. Popovich gave Williams his start in the coaching ranks as a coaching staff intern in the 2004-05 season when the Spurs won their third title in seven years. In addition, Williams spent two seasons of his nine-year NBA career with the Spurs under Popovich from 1996-98. In 2021, Williams said he got his coaching philosophy of "selfless, egoless basketball" from his mentor.
Kerr has a total of nine NBA titles: Five as a 15-year player, four as the Golden State Warriors' coach. After winning three during the Chicago Bulls' three-peat run from 1996-98, Kerr's last two titles were under Popovich in 1999 and 2003, his final season. After the next four years as an NBA analyst on TNT, Kerr returned to the team that drafted him, the Suns, as general manager, president of basketball operations and part-owner from 2007-10, before he joined Golden State in 2014.
Watson had a brief coaching stint with the Suns from 2015-17. When he was named their interim coach to replace Jeff Hornacek in 2016, Watson was the league's then-youngest head coach at 36. Watson later had the interim tag removed until he was fired in November 2017. After Watson's 13-year playing career ended in 2014, he later became an assistant for the Spurs' D-League team Austin Spurs that same year.
Porter succeeded Mike D'Antoni as coach in 2008, which ended the Suns' memorable "7 Seconds Or Less" era led by Steve Nash, Shawn Marion and Amar'e Stoudemire. In 2002, Porter ended his 13-year playing career with San Antonio, where he played his final three seasons. Porter was fired by the Suns in February 2009 after just 51 games. He led them to a mediocre 28-23 record, ninth place in the Western Conference, and was replaced by Alvin Gentry.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 4 Suns coaches, ex-GM Steve Kerr groomed by Spurs' Gregg Popovich
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After battling health issues that sidelined him for most of the 2024-25 season since November, the NBA's all-time winningest coach stepped down on Friday, May 2. He's the league's longest-tenured coach ever with one team, 29 years, winning five titles. He will continue with the franchise as Spurs' president of basketball operations.
Here are four ex-Suns coaches and a former general manager who came up under Popovich.
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Mike Budenholzer
This seemed like a match made in heaven for the Suns when they hired Popovich's former 17-year assistant coach Mike Budenholzer in May 2024. For the past two seasons, the Suns' front office wanted a championship-caliber coach. Budenholzer was on Popovich's coaching staff for four titles that San Antonio won from 1999 to 2007. The Suns are Budenholzer's home state team, he's a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, and led the Milwaukee Bucks to the 2021 title. But after a disastrous 36-win season and missing the playoffs, "Bud" was fired on April 14, the day after their final regular-season loss at the Sacramento Kings.
Monty Williams
From 2019-22, Williams quickly rose in Suns history, holding the franchise's third-highest winning percentage (.628) among its coaches behind Mike D'Antoni and Paul Westphal at the top. Williams lost in the 2021 finals to Budenholzer's Bucks and led the Suns to their most ever 64 wins and the No. 1 overall playoff seed during the 2021-22 season. Popovich gave Williams his start in the coaching ranks as a coaching staff intern in the 2004-05 season when the Spurs won their third title in seven years. In addition, Williams spent two seasons of his nine-year NBA career with the Spurs under Popovich from 1996-98. In 2021, Williams said he got his coaching philosophy of "selfless, egoless basketball" from his mentor.
Steve Kerr
Kerr has a total of nine NBA titles: Five as a 15-year player, four as the Golden State Warriors' coach. After winning three during the Chicago Bulls' three-peat run from 1996-98, Kerr's last two titles were under Popovich in 1999 and 2003, his final season. After the next four years as an NBA analyst on TNT, Kerr returned to the team that drafted him, the Suns, as general manager, president of basketball operations and part-owner from 2007-10, before he joined Golden State in 2014.
Earl Watson
Watson had a brief coaching stint with the Suns from 2015-17. When he was named their interim coach to replace Jeff Hornacek in 2016, Watson was the league's then-youngest head coach at 36. Watson later had the interim tag removed until he was fired in November 2017. After Watson's 13-year playing career ended in 2014, he later became an assistant for the Spurs' D-League team Austin Spurs that same year.
Terry Porter
Porter succeeded Mike D'Antoni as coach in 2008, which ended the Suns' memorable "7 Seconds Or Less" era led by Steve Nash, Shawn Marion and Amar'e Stoudemire. In 2002, Porter ended his 13-year playing career with San Antonio, where he played his final three seasons. Porter was fired by the Suns in February 2009 after just 51 games. He led them to a mediocre 28-23 record, ninth place in the Western Conference, and was replaced by Alvin Gentry.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 4 Suns coaches, ex-GM Steve Kerr groomed by Spurs' Gregg Popovich
Continue reading...
