Gregg Popovich has been coaching the San Antonio Spurs for nearly three decades, but eventually, his time leading the franchise will come to an end. Popovich, 74, recently became the NBA's all-time leader in coaching wins. He has won five championships in San Antonio and will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this offseason. Popovich has accomplished more in his career than almost any other coach in the history of basketball, but that doesn't mean he's ready to step away quite yet.
According to Yahoo's Jake Fischer, Popovich is widely expected to return to the Spurs next season. Technically, Popovich's contract expired at the end of the 2022-23 regular season, but according to Fischer, the team will allow Popovich to remain as coach for as long as he wants.
Tuesday's NBA Draft lottery gave him plenty of reason to stick around. The Spurs earned the No. 1 overall pick and the right to draft generational prospect Victor Wembanyama. The French big man had plenty of connections to San Antonio even before lottery night, as he played for ASVEL in France, a team owned by Spurs legend Tony Parker. Wembanyama said there was a "special connection" between France and the Spurs, and made it clear that he was happy to land in San Antonio.
Popovich's presence is part of what makes San Antonio such an appealing fit for Wembanyama. He helped Tim Duncan go from a generational prospect in his own right back in 1997 into one of the greatest players in NBA history.
Now, he'll have the chance to do the same for Wembanyama. He may not have announced a decision yet, but for now, all signs point to at least one more season in San Antonio for the legendary coach.
