Gregg Popovich, the legendary coach of the San Antonio Spurs, became the coach with the most regular season wins in NBA history.
Popovich achieved his 1,336th victory on Friday thanks to the long-suffering, but very meritorious, victory of the Spurs against the Utah Jazz (104-102), who ended up falling after a bad last quarter (40-28) despite the fact that they were winning by 15 points with 10 minutes remaining.
The Spurs coach thus surpassed Don Nelson, who had the record with 1,335 games won.
Unlike Nelson, a huge reference in the NBA benches who went through many teams, Popovich is synonymous with success, perseverance and loyalty with the Spurswhom he has directed continuously since the 1996-1997 season.
Popovich completely changed the DNA of the franchise and led the Spurs to five rings (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014).
Popovich’s extraordinary NBA career is above all linked to a basketball legend like Tim Duncan and also to other exceptional players like David Robinson, Kawhi Leonard, Tony Parker or Manu Ginóbili.
After the game that gave him the record, Popovich assured the media that such a brand “does not belong to a single person.”
“Basketball is a team sport. You lecture your players that they have to do things together and that has certainly been the case in my life with these wonderful players, coaches and the team that I have been blessed with.and also with the support of this wonderful city”, he explained.
“All of us share this record. It is not mine. He is ours, from here in the city,” he added.
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Also, the commissioner of the NBA, Adam Silver, surrendered to the legacy of Popovich.
“His success with the Spurs is unprecedented in our league so it is fitting that he now holds the record for most wins,” he said in a statement.
“His leadership and steadfast commitment to basketball are widely admired by generations of players and coaches. Congratulations to Pop (her nickname for him) on his latest achievement in this legendary career,” he added.
Numerous NBA personalities praised Popovich for achieving this record, including Spaniard Pau Gasol, who played for the Spurs from 2016 to 2019.
“Huge congratulations to Pop, to all of his team members over the years, and to the entire Spurs organization for this incredible achievement!” Gasol wrote on Twitter. (D)
Source: Eluniverso
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