The San Antonio Spurs have had it their way in 2023. After winning the most anticipated NBA Draft Lottery in recent history, the Spurs went on to draft the generational prospect, Victor Wembanyama. However, the Spurs still seem to have some moves up their sleeve.
Gregg Popovich, the winningest coach in NBA history has signed a 5-year contract extension with the franchise. The 74-year-old veteran has coached the franchise for 27 years while building one of the greatest dynasties in the NBA. The idea of the winningest coach of all time coaching the greatest prospect since LeBron James has sent the NBA world into a frenzy. Fans chimed in to react to this astonishing news.
Victor Wembanyama gets a tenured coach
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The French baller has yet another reason to be excited about entering the NBA. After being drafted by a highly successful franchise, the No.1 pick will also get the services of one of the most successful coaches of all time.
Popovich, who was serving as the president of basketball operations and head coach for the Spurs for the past 27 years, signed a deal to extend his coaching contract by 5 more years. The veteran is reported to have signed one of the richest deals by an NBA coach, reported to be north of $80M.?
Just In: San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich – the winningest NBA coach of all-time – has signed a new five-year contract extension with the franchise.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 8, 2023
After coaching legendary talents like Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, Popovich now has a new disciple to guide.
Known for his extraordinary leadership, Popovich will have a crucial role in the paving of Wembanyama’s journey in the NBA. The fans had to chime in to react to Popovich’s extension.
Some users predicted that Popovich is building another dynasty with the star big man.
Pop getting ready for another dynasty with a star big man pic.twitter.com/fvnWHHFr99
— 🪬🕸️ (@MorantLikeThat) July 9, 2023
Others mentioned that Popovich extended his contract because he wanted to coach the No.1 pick
Coach Popovich saw Wembanyama and decided, YUP, I'll stick around for 5 years. I'll take his opinion over the folks on the bird app ready to call him a bust
— The NyCAA Knicks (@jthesaint527) July 8, 2023
Some fans also hailed the veteran coach for his leadership skills.
Fantastic news. He's a great example of how to lead a team
— OfficialShannonWLocke (@ElLockeLawGroup) July 8, 2023
Interestingly, a video of Popovich playing around with Tim Duncan also resurfaced
Plenty of time for Pop to bully Wemby like he did Duncan… pic.twitter.com/JG8F7aT5cr
— WG (@NvictusManeo) July 8, 2023
Meanwhile, some fans were not so pleased with Popovich’s decision
https://twitter.com/BigBiteBaby/status/1677815410744229891?s=20
The fans had their say about Gregg Popovich’s decision but will the feted coach of all time be able to guide Wembanyama to NBA glory?
Gregg Popovich is an NBA legend
Being hailed as “the winningest coach of all time” is no joke. But Gregg Popovich has embodied that phrase to its absolute essence.
Over the span of 27 years as the head coach of the Spurs, Popovich has delivered 5 championships to the franchise. He has made winning synonymous with his name, becoming the all time leader in regular season wins as a head coach.
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He has also been named the NBA Coach of the Year three times in his tenure as head coach of the Spurs. However, Popovoch has been facing a tough challenge lately.
The Spurs have been going through a rough patch in the past few years. After the “Big Three” era ended, the Spurs have not managed to win a single playoff series since 2017. However, after managing to tank an entire season, the Spurs landed on gold. Drafting Victor Wembanyama is said to give the Spurs the exact boost they needed.
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With Gregg Popovich still at the helm, the Spurs have an opportunity to get back to winning ways. Wemby too has an opportunity to learn and be guided by one of the most successful coaches in NBA history.