The San Antonio Spurs announced they had reached a deal with Gregg Popovich to stay as the franchise's president of basketball operations and head coach for five more years.
Gregg Popovich Signs Five-Year Contract pic.twitter.com/GiH9dgev6k
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) July 8, 2023
The 74-year-old has been with the franchise as their president of basketball operations and general manager since 1994 before taking over as head coach in 1996. He has since relinquished the general manager post to R.C. Buford in 2002.
The five-time champion is the NBA's all-time winningest coach, with 1,650 wins between the regular season and playoffs.
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James reacted to the news, congratulating Popovich on the new deal and letting him pay for their next wine dinner.
Popovich's Spurs teams notably faced James thrice in the NBA Finals in 2007, 2013, and 2014. The Spurs notched lopsided series wins over James' teams -- Cleveland Cavaliers in 2007 and the Miami Heat in 2014.
Meanwhile, the NBA's all-time leading scorer captured his second NBA Championship in 2013 in a hard-fought seven-game series against Popovich's well-oiled squad.
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Gregg Popovich's new deal resets the coaching market
Popovich's new agreement with the Spurs is now the largest coaching deal in NBA history, surpassing Monty Williams' six-year, $78.5 million deal with the Detroit Pistons signed earlier this offseason.
The Spurs boss' contract is reportedly worth $80 million for five years, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Wojnarowski added that there is a possibility that Popovich may not coach for the whole duration of the deal, which runs until the 2027-28 NBA season, since the contract also includes his role as president of basketball operations.
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