Spurs' Popovich passes Nelson for most coaching wins in NBA history

Gregg Popovich now stands alone atop the NBA’s all-time head coaching wins list.

The San Antonio Spurs’ bench boss earned the 1,336th regular season victory of his career on Friday, passing Hall of Famer Don Nelson. Nelson earned his record-setting victory in April of 2010, passing former Toronto Raptors head coach Lenny Wilkens.

Popovich’s run in San Antonio is among the most impressive for any coach in professional sports both for its longevity and success. After taking over for Bob Hill during 1996-97 season, the 73-year-old has guided the Spurs for 26 straight seasons, winning five championships and making the playoffs every year from 1998 to 2019.

Popovich began his career in the NBA as a Spurs assistant under Larry Brown during the 1988-89 season. He left the organization in 1992 to go work for Nelson in Golden State, but returned to San Antonio as head coach in 1996 after the Spurs got off to a 3-15 start under Hill.

Anchored by No. 1 overall picks David Robinson and Tim Duncan, the Spurs won their first championship in franchise history two seasons later, defeating the New York Knicks in five games to cap a lockout-shortened 1998-99 season.

That was only the beginning for Popovich and the Spurs.

While Robinson’s best days might have been behind him by the turn of the century, Duncan didn’t have to wait long for help as point guard Tony Parker and swingman Manu Ginobili would arrive soon after and help lead the Spurs to an additional four titles in 12 seasons, their most recent coming in 2014 over LeBron James and the Miami Heat.

All in all, Popovich owns a regular season record of 1,336-694 and has three Coach of the Year Awards and a gold medal as head coach of the USA men’s basketball team in Tokyo 2020.