The 74-year-old technician has signed a new contract for $ 80 million over five years with the Spurs.
Gregg Popopvich and San Antonio is the never ending story. The Spurs announce this Saturday that their legendary coach has signed a five-year contract. The 74-year-old “Pop” is now linked to the Texas franchise until the end of the 2027-28 season, he who also serves as president of basketball operations. ESPN tells us that the deal should bring more than $ 80 million to the future member of the Hall of Fame, suggesting that Popovich could decide to stop coaching while retaining the benefits of this record contract. A few weeks ago, Monty Williams signed for $78.5 million over six years to coach the Phoenix Suns. One thing is certain: Gregg Popovich, who will start his 28th season on the bench for the Alamo City club, still has the fire, the desire, the love of the game. The proof with this new commitment, while his previous contract would only run until the end of the 2022-23 campaign. A good omen for the French prodigy Victor Wembanyama, 19, chosen in first position of the Draft a few days ago by San Antonio.
This is the third time the Spurs have drawn first in the Draft, after 1987 with David Robinson and 1997 with Tim Duncan. After four seasons without play-offs, the Texas club dreams of a bright future with “Wemby”, who just made his Summer League debut. However, the road will be long before playing the title and trying to hang a sixth banner from the ceiling of the AT&T Center… The first five titles, in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014, were under the direction of Popovich, who had made a first stint in San Antonio as an istant between 1988 and 1992, before a hook by Golden State and a return to Texas as general manager in 1994. He took the reins of the team as coach interim in 1996. Since then, “Pop” has become the record holder for victories (1366), guiding the Spurs to 22 consecutive appearances in the play-offs. In addition to his five NBA championship rings, Gregg Popovich guided Team USA to Olympic gold two years ago in Tokyo after a failure at the 2019 World Cup. He is considered one of the greatest coaches in the history of basketball, if not the greatest.