For years, San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich didn’t wasn’t to be elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
It was an odd desire, as just about every player and coach in the NBA dreams of making it there and getting immortalized.
But this weekend, Popovich will be formally inducted into the Hall of Fame, and per Tim Bontemps, Jerry Colangelo says the thing that has changed is that all of the stars who formed the cornerstone of San Antonio’s dynasty are now in the Hall of Fame as well.
Jerry Colangelo said the thing that changed Gregg Popovich’s mind about going into the Hall of Fame this year was because all of his players are now in, which is what he always wanted to wait for.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) August 11, 2023
Popovich is the longest-tenured head coach in the four major American pro sports leagues, and he took over the helm of the Spurs during the 1996-97 season.
The next year, he had the good fortune to start coaching Tim Duncan, whom the Spurs took at No. 1 in the 1997 draft.
In just his second season, Duncan took San Antonio all the way, giving Popovich his first NBA championship.
The team would add point guard Tony Parker and shooting guard Manu Ginobili a few years later, giving them a trio that was hard to handle for most of the rest of the league.
Together, Duncan, Parker, Ginobili, and Popovich would win four more world titles.
Duncan went into the Hall of Fame in 2020 and Ginobili got in last year, while Parker will be one of several players inducted this year.
Popovich has earned a reputation as one of the greatest coaches in NBA history, and this coming season, he will have the privilege of coaching rookie Victor Wembanyama, whom many feel has transcendent potential.
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