Gregg Popovich facts for kids
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Popovich speaking at the White House in 2015
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| San Antonio Spurs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| President of basketball operations | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | January 28, 1949 East Chicago, Indiana, U.S. |
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| High school | Merrillville (Merrillville, Indiana) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College | Air Force (1966–1970) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 1973–2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | NBA | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| As coach: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1973–1979 | Air Force (assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1979–1986 | Pomona-Pitzer | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1986–1987 | Kansas (assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1987–1988 | Pomona-Pitzer | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1988–1992 | San Antonio Spurs (assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1992–1994 | Golden State Warriors (assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–2025 | San Antonio Spurs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
As head coach:
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Medals
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Gregg Charles Popovich (born January 28, 1949) is a famous American basketball executive and former coach. He is currently the president of basketball operations for the San Antonio Spurs in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Popovich was the head coach of the Spurs for 29 seasons, from 1996 to 2025. During this time, he led the team to five NBA championships. He was the longest-serving coach in the NBA and in all major U.S. sports leagues. People often call him "Coach Pop". He has won more games than any other coach in NBA history and is considered one of the best coaches ever.
He helped the Spurs have winning seasons for 22 years in a row, which is an NBA record. Popovich also coached the U.S. national team to a gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics. In 2023, he was honored by being inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. After coaching for nearly three decades, Popovich stepped down in 2025 to focus on his role as president of basketball operations.
Contents
Early Life and College Years
Gregg Popovich was born on January 28, 1949, in East Chicago, Indiana. His father was Serbian and his mother was Croatian. He finished high school at Merrillville High School in 1966.
College Basketball and Air Force Service
Popovich went to the United States Air Force Academy. He played basketball for the Air Force Falcons men's basketball team. In his last year, he was the team captain and their top scorer. He earned a degree in Soviet studies in 1970.
After college, Popovich served five years in the United States Air Force. During this time, he traveled around Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union with the U.S. Armed Forces Basketball Team. In 1972, he was the captain of this team when they won the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) championship. This success led to him being invited to try out for the 1972 U.S. Olympic Basketball Team.
Coaching and Executive Career
Starting His Coaching Journey (1973–1994)
In 1973, Popovich went back to the Air Force Academy as an assistant basketball coach. While coaching there, he earned a master's degree in physical education from the University of Denver.
In 1979, Popovich became the head coach for the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens, a college basketball team in California. He coached them until 1988 and led them to their first championship in 68 years.
During his time at Pomona-Pitzer, Popovich learned a lot from Larry Brown, who was coaching at the University of Kansas. Popovich even took a year off from Pomona-Pitzer to be a volunteer assistant coach under Brown.
After the 1987–88 season, Popovich joined Larry Brown again as a top assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs. He worked there until 1992. Then, he moved to the Golden State Warriors for a short time, working as an assistant coach under Don Nelson.
Leading the San Antonio Spurs (1994–2025)
In 1994, Popovich returned to the San Antonio Spurs as the general manager. One of his first big moves was signing Avery Johnson as the team's starting point guard.
In December 1996, the Spurs were not doing well, with a record of 3 wins and 15 losses. Their star player, David Robinson, was injured. Popovich decided to fire the coach, Bob Hill, and became the head coach himself. The team continued to struggle that season due to more injuries, finishing with only 20 wins and 62 losses. This tough season, however, allowed the Spurs to get the first pick in the 1997 NBA draft, which they used to draft Tim Duncan.
Duncan and Robinson, known as the "Twin Towers," became a powerful duo. After winning 56 games in Popovich's first full season (1997–1998), the Spurs won their first NBA championship in 1999.
In 2002, Popovich gave up his general manager role to R. C. Buford to focus entirely on coaching. Popovich led the Spurs to four more championships: in 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014. He was also named NBA Coach of the Year three times (2003, 2012, and 2014).
In 2008, Popovich received the Distinguished Graduate award from the U.S. Air Force Academy. He said it was the most meaningful award he had ever gotten, even with his NBA titles.
In 2012, Popovich made headlines when he rested four of his main players for a nationally televised game against the Miami Heat. He often rested his older players to keep them fresh for the playoffs. The NBA commissioner, David Stern, fined the Spurs $250,000 for this, saying it was unfair to the league and fans.
Popovich led the Spurs to the 2013 NBA Finals, where they faced the Miami Heat again. The series went to seven games, but the Spurs lost, which was their first time losing in the NBA Finals. The next year, in 2014, Popovich won his third Coach of the Year award and his fifth NBA championship, beating the Heat 4–1 in the Finals.
On February 9, 2015, Popovich became the ninth coach in NBA history to win 1,000 games. He is one of only two coaches to win 1,000 games with just one team. In the 2015–16 season, the Spurs won a franchise-record 67 games, but they lost in the playoffs.
By April 13, 2019, Popovich had won 1,413 games (including regular season and playoffs), making him the all-time winningest coach in NBA history.
On January 26, 2020, after the tragic death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, Popovich suggested that both teams in the Spurs-Raptors game take a 24-second shot clock violation to honor Bryant's jersey number. This tribute was then repeated in many other NBA games.
On March 11, 2022, Popovich set a new record for the most regular season wins of all time, with 1,336 victories. He achieved this record in fewer games than the previous record holder, Don Nelson.
In July 2023, Popovich signed a new contract to stay with the Spurs until the 2027–28 season. However, in November 2024, he had a stroke and took a break from coaching. On May 2, 2025, the Spurs announced that Popovich would step down as coach after 29 seasons. He moved into a new role as president of basketball operations, and his assistant, Mitch Johnson, became the new head coach.
Coaching the National Team
Popovich also coached the U.S. men's national team. He was an assistant coach when the U.S. team won a bronze medal at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.
In October 2015, Popovich was named the head coach of the U.S. men's national team. At the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup, the team finished in seventh place, which was their lowest finish ever in international competition. However, with Popovich as head coach, the U.S. team won a gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, defeating France in the final.
Personal Life
Gregg Popovich was married to Erin Popovich for 42 years until she passed away in 2018. They had two children. Popovich enjoys collecting wine and has invested in a winery.
He has also been involved in many charity efforts. He has worked with organizations like the San Antonio Food Bank and the Innocence Project. He helped provide shoes to students affected by hurricanes and raised money for disaster relief in Haiti and the Caribbean.
Images for kids
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Popovich speaking at the White House in 2015
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Popovich in 2010
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Popovich being interviewed by David Aldridge
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Popovich during a regular-season game in 2011
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Popovich speaking to Junior ROTC cadets in 2000
See also
In Spanish: Gregg Popovich para niños
