MADRID, 9 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) –
San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has extended his contract with the Texan franchise for five more years, which will make him the highest-paid coach in NBA history.
Popovich, 74, is the longest-serving coach in NBA history and will see the record extended with the new deal. The details of the contract were not revealed as part of the team’s policy, although various media suggest that he will receive more than 80 million dollars.
Popovich is the winningest manager of all time and recently completed his 27th season as Spurs manager. He has guided San Antonio to five NBA titles (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014) and has been named NBA Coach of the Year three times (2003, 2012 and 2014).
Popovich is the third coach in history with the most Playoff wins, with 170, behind only Phil Jackson (229) and Pat Riley (171), and will enter the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame next month.
Popovich’s decision to remain as the Spurs’ head coach and president of basketball operations comes shortly after the team clinched the No. 1 overall pick and selected Frenchman Victor Wembanyama. Wembanyama made his official NBA Summer League debut on Friday against the Charlotte Hornets in Las Vegas.
In his US coaching career, Popovich also won an Olympic gold medal at the 2021 Tokyo Games.