AP Photo/Darren Abate

Woj: Gregg Popovich's 5-Year Spurs Contract Worth $80M After Victor Wembanyama Pick

Doric Sam

One of the greatest coaches in NBA history isn't ready to call it a career just yet.

The San Antonio Spurs announced Saturday that head coach Gregg Popovich has agreed to a new five-year contract, which would take his deal through the 2027-28 season. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported Popovich's contract is worth more than $80 million.

His original contract was set to expire at the end of this season after he had signed an extension in 2019. LJ Ellis of Spurs Talk reported on June 14 that there was an expectation the team would sign him to a flexible new deal that would allow him to coach for however long he chose.

The 2022-23 season was his 27th year as head coach of the Spurs, the longest tenure in the league. The three-time NBA Coach of the Year has led the franchise to five NBA championships, the most recent coming in 2014.

He was announced as part of the 2023 class to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

San Antonio finished this past season with a 22-60 record, which ranked last in the Western Conference. The Spurs landed the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft and selected 7'5" phenom Victor Wembanyama out of France, which undoubtedly played a significant factor in Popovich's decision to return.

The 74-year-old became the winningest coach in NBA history in 2021-22 when his 1,336th career victory surpassed Hall of Famer Don Nelson.

Popovich entered the NBA in 1988 as the lead assistant under Larry Brown when he was named San Antonio's head coach.

When Brown and his entire staff were fired in 1992, Popovich spent some time with the Golden State Warriors as an assistant under Nelson. He returned to the Spurs initially as general manager and vice president of basketball operations in 1994 before naming himself head coach in 1996.

Throughout his tenure in San Antonio, he coached multiple all-time great players, including Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Manu Ginobli, Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker, who is joining him in the 2023 Hall of Fame class. He later became head coach of Team USA, leading the team to a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

The Spurs haven't enjoyed the same success in recent years, finishing seventh or worse in the Western Conference in the last six consecutive seasons. Still, that hasn't hurt Popovich's love for the game, and the arrival of Wembanyama could help turn around the franchise's fortune.

Popovich will try to lead San Antonio back to prominence as he continues his coaching career for the next five years.

   

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