Gregg Popovich
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Popovich speaking at the White House in January 2015
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| San Antonio Spurs | |
|---|---|
| Position | Head coach / President of Basketball Operations |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born |
January 28, 1949 East Chicago, Indiana |
| Nationality | American |
| Career information | |
| High school | Merrillville (Merrillville, Indiana) |
| College | Air Force (1966–1970) |
| Coaching career | 1973–present |
| Career history | |
| As coach: | |
| 1973–1979 | Air Force (assistant) |
| 1979–1986 | Pomona-Pitzer |
| 1986–1987 | Kansas (volunteer asst.) |
| 1987–1988 | Pomona-Pitzer |
| 1988–1992 | San Antonio Spurs (assistant) |
| 1992–1994 | Golden State Warriors (assistant) |
| 1996–present | San Antonio Spurs |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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As head coach:
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As head coach:
Gregg Charles Popovich (born January 28, 1949) is an American basketball coach who is currently the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Taking over as coach of the Spurs in 1996, Popovich is the longest tenured active coach in both the NBA and all US major sports leagues. He is often referred to as "Coach Pop" or simply "Pop".
Popovich is considered one of the greatest coaches in NBA history. He is currently tied with Pat Riley (regular season only) with 19 consecutive winning seasons, behind Phil Jackson's 20. He has won five NBA championships as a head coach (all with the Spurs), a feat achieved only by four others in NBA history (Phil Jackson, Red Auerbach, Pat Riley, and John Kundla). He is also one of nine coaches to have won 1,000 NBA games.
Popovich was born in East Chicago, Indiana on January 28, 1949, to a Serb father and Croat mother. He started his basketball career playing Biddy Basketball and was on the 1960 Gary Biddy Basketball All-Star Team which finished third in the World Tournament, held at Gary's Memorial Auditorium. He attended Merrillville High School and graduated in 1970 from the United States Air Force Academy. He played basketball for four seasons at the Academy and in his senior year was the team captain and the leading scorer. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in Soviet Studies, and he underwent Air Force intelligence gathering and processing training. At one point, Popovich considered a career with the Central Intelligence Agency.
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