Gregg Popovich San Antonio Spurs Head Coach
One of the most experienced Senior coaches in NBA history, Gregg Charles Popovich was appointed as the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs in 1996.
Popovich’s basketball career began as a player after attending the United States Air Force Academy. There he played for the academy’s Air Force Falcons men’s team, during which time he was named captain of the United States Armed Forces basketball team in 1972. Then he was appointed as an assistant coach at the Air Force Academy for his playing skills in 1973. He spent 6 years as an assistant coach with this team, this time he earned a master’s degree in physical education and sports science from the University of Denver.
| Born | January 28, 1949 |
| Age | 74 |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Career | Head Coach |
| Team | San Antonio Spurs (1996–present) |
In 1979, Popovich was appointed head coach of the Pomona-Pitzer Sagens, the joint men’s basketball team in California. He coached this team for 9 years (1979-1988) leading the team to its first outright title in 68 years and leading to 3 (SCIAC) championships. After the 1987–88 season, Popovich was hired as an assistant coach for the Spurs, where he served for 4 years (1988–1992), then he briefly moved to the Golden State Warriors in 1992. He also served as an assistant for 2 seasons.
In 1994, Popovich joined San Antonio as general manager and vice president of basketball operations.
Later in the 1996–97 season, Popovich fired head coach Bob Hill and named himself head coach. Popovich had the most success of his coaching career, winning five NBA championships with the Spurs (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014). He was named NBA Coach of the Year 3 times (2003, 2012, and 2014). He was also named a 4-times NBA All-Star Game head coach with the Spurs in (2005,2011,2013 and 2016). Through all his success he has been able to include himself in the list of famous coaches.
Gregg Popovich was born on January 28, 1949, in East Chicago, Indiana. This famous Head Coach of the Spurs led the team to 22 consecutive NBA Playoff appearances from 1997-2019. So far he has been handling the duties of Spurs’ head coach efficiently.