Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich Named Among 2023 Basketball Hall of Fame Finalists
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In a down season for the San Antonio Spurs, the news of their head coach Gregg Popovich, 74, earning 2023 Hall of Fame finalists honors came as a welcoming palate cleanser.
Popovich joins former mentee and Spurs point guard Tony Parker as one of 11 finalists for the 2023 Basketball Hall of Fame.
Popovich's presence is a constant reminder of basketball greatness. Of the final remnant of the 2000s Spurs dynasty, Popovich continues to lead by example in the Spurs' rebuilding era.
Leader of wins by a head coach in NBA history (1.358), Popovich leads the next active coach (Doc Rivers) by 277 victories. Coaching the Spurs to five NBA championships and 10 Western Conference Finals appearances, the United States Air Force Academy graduate remains a fixture in the proud San Antonio franchise as he is also the team's President of Basketball Operations since 2002.
More than an NBA savant, Popovich also experienced success on the Olympic level. Popovich helped coach his country to a 45-13 record in his six outings with the USA Basketball National Team, ultimately winning two gold and one bronze medal.
Popovich took the reins from former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski following the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Former USA Basketball Men's National Team Managing Director Jerry Colangelo spoke highly of Popovich after he replaced Krzyzewski as head coach.
"There is no doubt in my mind that we have the great fortune of bringing on board one of the NBA’s best and most successful coaches ever to lead the USA National Team for the 2017-20 quadrennium," Colangelo said.
Before the official inductions at the renowned Naismith Memorial in Springfield, Massachusetts in August, a voting committee will decide the lucky few in Houston during the NCAA's Final Four festivities.
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