San Antonio will keep their 74-year-old Hall of Famer – Gregg Popovich signed to a deal to remain as the head coach and president of basketball operations for the Spurs. Pop is now the highest-paid NBA head coach, as he resets the coaching market with his five-year extension worth $80 million.
This new deal will likely not play out fully with Pop as a coach over the five seasons, but it could likely end with him in the front office as the president of basketball operations, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
But according to sources close to Pop, they say he has been “re-energized” the past few years with a rebuilding Spurs team currently. Now coaching with more of a developmental focus with a core consisting of younger players than before, Pop can get back to the kind of “hands-on, player development” by teaching the game kind of coaching he prefers rather than a contending team with star players with experience but troublesome egos at times.
The former five-time champion is considered one of the greatest NBA coaches of all time and will now get to shape French phenom Victor Wembanyama, the former top pick in this past NBA draft. Now with the star rookie at hand, Pop should be feeling like a brand new self on the sidelines for at least a couple more years before he decides to hang it up as the oldest coach with the longest tenure in the NBA currently.
Now with the 19-year-old superstar rookie center, along with a young core of power forward Jeremy Sochan, shooting guard Devin Vassell, small forward Keldon Johnson, and point guard Tre Jones, Pop will have his work cut out for him. All under 23, this core will be able to develop together under Pop’s tutelage, as the Spurs went 22-60 last season tied for the second-worst record in the NBA.
Although this team is nowhere near close to contending, at least there is hope with the youth they have and the talent San Antonio possesses should pay dividends on the court for Pop in the future.
