SAN ANTONIO (USA) - USA Basketball and San Antonio legendary coach Gregg Popovich, 76, is unlikely to return this season, and his future in the NBA remains uncertain as he continues to recover from a stroke he suffered in November, according to league sources cited by ESPN's Shams Charania on Saturday.
His NBA career is one for the history books, and when Coach Pop decides to close this chapter of his life, it will mark the beginning of a new era for the league.
His FIBA career is already set in stone, a journey filled with emotional highs and lows.
Everyone remembers Gregg Popovich leading Team USA to the top of the podium in Tokyo in the summer of 2021, securing a fourth consecutive gold medal. But few recall that this triumphant ending was paved with challenges and frustrations along the way.
The most responsibility I've ever felt
"You know, every championship is special and the group you're with a special, but I can be honest and say this is the most responsibility I've ever felt," he said after the Olympic Games in 2021. "Because you're playing for so many people that are watching for a country and other countries involved. The responsibility was awesome. And I felt that every day for several years now."
Popovich joined USA Basketball during a challenging period for the national team, serving as an assistant coach under George Karl at the 2002 World Cup in Indianapolis. The team finished sixth with a 6-3 record, marking a turning point in international basketball as it was the first time a USA squad filled with NBA All-Stars suffered a defeat.
A year later, he remained on the bench, assisting head coach Larry Brown at the AmeriCup 2003. His own San Antonio superstar, Tim Duncan, led the national team to the title with a perfect record. However, at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Team USA fell to Argentina in the semifinals. The young squad, featuring future superstars like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Carmelo Anthony, managed to bounce back and secure a bronze medal. That remains the last time the USA did not win Olympic gold in men's basketball—an experience Popovich, a keen admirer of the game's global evolution, would not forget.
When he returned to USA Basketball after the 2016 Olympics, Coach Pop was appointed as head coach, taking the baton from Mike Krzyzewski.
"I'm extremely humbled and honored to have the opportunity to represent our country as the coach of the USA National Team," said Popovich at the announcement press conference.
"What the program has accomplished over the last decade under the leadership of Jerry Colangelo and Mike Krzyzewski is truly impressive. I will do my utmost to maintain the high standards of success, class and character established by Jerry, Coach K and the many players who have sacrificed their time on behalf of USA Basketball."
Gregg Popovich with USA Basketball
Year | Competions | Role | Record | Standings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
2002 | World Cup | Assistant coach | 6-3 | 6th |
2003 | AmeriCup | Assistant coach | 10-0 | 1st |
2004 | Olympics | Assistant coach | 5-3 | 3rd |
2019 | World Cup | Head coach | 6-2 | 7th |
2021 | Olympics | Head coach | 5-1 | 1st |
Popovich's first major challenge as head coach was the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019. In 2010 and 2014, Coach K's teams had dominated the tournament, but this time, the path to the title was abruptly cut short in the quarter-finals against France. Rudy Gobert delivered the game of his life for Les Bleus, posting 21 points, 16 rebounds, and 3 blocks, while Team USA had no answer for his presence in the paint.
A subsequent loss to Nikola Jokic's Serbia left Popovich's squad in a disappointing seventh place.
At that moment, the winningest coach in NBA history was still searching for his first global triumph with the USA national team - an unexpected reality after three attempts. But great rewards come to those who persevere.
Glory finally arrived two years later at the Tokyo Olympics. After opening the tournament with a loss to France, Kevin Durant ensured history wouldn't repeat itself when the two teams met again in the final. Durant exploded for 21 points in the first half (finishing with 29), leading Team USA to an 87-82 victory and securing their fourth consecutive Olympic gold medal.
The best feeling I ever had in basketball
Gregg Popovich’s FIBA journey is a universal life lesson: It's not about how many times you fall, but how many times you rise again.
FIBA wishes Coach Pop a speedy and full recovery, and like basketball fans around the world, hopes to see him back on the bench soon.
FIBA