As Gregg Popovich stepped down from his post as San Antonio Spurs coach and transitioned to a front office role as the team’s president this week, endless tributes for the winningest coach in NBA history followed.
Friday, it was Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr and Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka who wore awesome shirts with Popovich’s face on them. The same day, Spurs star big man Victor Wembanyama posted a heartfelt message for his coach on social media.
And ahead of Game 7 between the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers Saturday night, TNT’s Inside the NBA crew prepared an amazing tribute for Popovich.
The Fellas showed love to Coach Pop after his decision to step away from coaching 🫶 pic.twitter.com/pyQW2Zw4Q0
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 3, 2025
Shaquille O’Neal, who grew up in San Antonio, told a story about how his father learned a former Spurs player wore the same, humongous shoe size as his son. Because O’Neal was wearing old, beaten down shoes, his dad reached out to the Spurs and Popovich gave them a couple pairs of sneakers.
“He never wanted anything [in return], I always had an admiration and respect for him,” O’Neal said on TNT Saturday.
O’Neal has super fond memories of coach Pop, even though he once hilariously employed the “Hack-a-Shaq” strategy just five seconds into a game. And the coach gave Shaq two thumbs-up with a wide grin while doing so.
Popovich, 76, was sidelined as Spurs coach since November after he suffered a mild stroke. In February it was announced that he would not return to the team this season. Now, his illustrious 29-year tenure as head coach that resulted in five NBA titles has reached its conclusion as he transitions into a full-time front office role.
The Spurs hired assistant coach Mitch Johnson to replace Popovich as head coach. Johnson has worked with the Spurs organization for a decade and took over as interim coach in Popovich’s absence.
