Legendary San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich attended Spurs practice and addressed the team before the playoffs.
Popovich, the NBA’s all-time leader in coaching wins with 1,390 regular-season victories, is currently the team president for the Spurs. He coached the Spurs for 29 seasons, from 1996 to 2025, winning five NBA championships as the Spurs’ leader on the sidelines. However, Popovich’s coaching career came to an end last season after he suffered a stroke. After Mitch Johnson took over the interim head coaching job for the Spurs, Popovich decided to step down from his coaching job, and Johnson took over the role full-time.
Under Johnson’s leadership, the Spurs snapped a six-year playoff drought, finishing this current NBA regular season with a 62-20 record. The Spurs now enter the playoffs as one of the favorites to win the NBA championship.
With the Spurs back in the playoffs, who better to talk to the team than the coach who led them to five titles? On Friday, Popovich attended Spurs practice, a welcome sight for the entire group of 15 players, all of whom greatly respect everything that Popovich means to the franchise.
Gregg Popovich Spoke to the Spurs This Week
In addition to showing up to team practice, according to point guard De’Aaron Fox, Popovich addressed the team this week, making sure to explain to them the differences between the NBA regular season and the playoffs, which are an entirely different beast.
In addition to having the most wins in the regular season for an NBA coach, Popovich is also third all-time in playoff victories, with 170, just one behind Pat Riley and 59 behind Phil Jackson.
Spurs Second Favorites to Win NBA Title
The Oklahoma City Thunder are currently the favorites to win the NBA title, with +110 odds to do so, via DraftKings Sportsbook. However, the Spurs are second, with +500 odds to win it all.
After all, the Spurs have center Victor Wembanyama as their franchise player. Wembanyama made incredible strides this season, his third in the league, becoming a true superstar in the NBA and one that will likely finish second to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the NBA MVP voting. With Wembanyama protecting the rim for the Spurs, they have the defensive presence they need to make it far in the playoffs.
In addition to Wembanyama, the Spurs have a terrific roster chock full of talented young players such as Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper, plus solid veterans like the aforementioned Fox, Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, and Harrison Barnes. From top to bottom, the Spurs have one of the deepest rosters in the NBA, and it’s one of the reasons they are a favorite to make it deep in the postseason this year.
Especially with Popovich’s encouragement and leadership, look for the Spurs to perform well this postseason. Their first-round matchup is against the Portland Trail Blazers in a battle of the No. 2 vs. No. 7 playoff seeds in the Western Conference. The Spurs are a heavy favorite to win the series, and you know that Popovich will be looking on intently, even though he is no longer behind the bench for the Spurs.
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