Gregg Popovich has accomplished the unimaginable after tying Don Nelson for the most regular-season wins of all time in a head coaching career. Popovich won his 1,335th game on Monday night in front of a home crowd in Texas. The five-time NBA Champion has coached all of his 26 seasons with the San Antonio Spurs.
Gregg Popovich Ties Don Nelson for Most Wins All-Time
A Historical Night
Popovich earned win number 1,335 on Monday night in San Antonio against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers were without LeBron James, who sat out with a sore knee after his historic performance against the Warriors earlier in the week. The Spurs went on to a 117-110 victory over the Lakers, finally earning their coach this tie at the top in their fifth attempt. The Spurs were led in scoring by Dejounte Murray and Josh Richardson, who scored 26 and 18 points respectively.
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A Fitting Replacement
Don Nelson is likely one of the many people looking forward to seeing Popovich take sole ownership of this record. The two hall of fame coaches share more than just an enormous win total. Popovich cut his NBA coaching teeth as an assistant coach for the Spurs under Larry Brown in 1988. After four years in that role, he worked for the Golden State Warriors as an assistant coach under Nelson.
When Popovich was hired as the Spurs general manager in 1994, tried to hire Nelson as his coach. When that deal couldn’t be arranged, Popovich hired Bob Hill. Two years later, Popovich would fire Hill, naming himself the head coach. The rest, as they say, is history.
Popovich’s Cemented Legacy
Once Popovich owns this record, he’ll be able to add it to his already astonishing coaching resume. In 2017, he broke Jerry Sloan’s record for most wins with a single franchise (1,127). Two years later in a first-round playoff series with the Denver Nuggets, Popovich broke Lenny Wilkens’s record of 1,412 combined regular season and playoff victories. He is also third all-time in playoff wins with 170.
Popovich has also seen success on the international stage, coaching Team USA to a gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics. Popovich has allegedly asked to be withheld from consideration from the basketball hall of fame until he retires, but we can all be certain that he is a lock for induction when that time comes.
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Alone at the Top
Popovich and the Spurs have their first chance to capture sole ownership of this record on Wednesday, March 9th against the Toronto Raptors. The coach and team will have two other shots this week if needed. First in a March 11th showdown with the Utah Jazz and finally in a matchup with the Indiana Pacers the following day.
Luckily for Spurs fans, this team plays their next six games at home before leaving on a road trip later this month. It is safe to say that Popovich will have the pleasure of becoming the NBA’s all-time winningest coach in front of his hometown fans.
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