Popovich has 1,336 career victories, moving him past Don Nelson for most regular-season victories. The time is 1:05.
Popovich has 1,336 victories in the NBA.
Don Nelson held the record for most wins in NBA history, but Popovich surpassed him with the San Antonio Spurs 104-102 win over the Utah Jazz on Friday night.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement after the game that it was only fitting that Popovich held the record for most career wins.
Generations of players and coaches alike admire his leadership and commitment to the game. Coach Pop has achieved another milestone in his legendary career.
The longest tenure of any head coach in the U.S. major sports leagues is by Popovich, who has been with the Spurs for 26 years.
Tony Parker, a long time Spurs point guard, said he was very happy for Pop. That is a great achievement. It's well-deserved. That shows his hard work ethic.
Dejounte Murray said that the players were ready to celebrate Popovich closing in on the record but that the Spurs did not discuss it.
Murray said that Pop doesn't like praise. It is a good thing. You want to remind him of his success because it is rare. He wants to focus on winning every day. He never praises himself.
We don't talk about the record, but we will enjoy it when we get it for him because he is a great man and he deserves it. He embraces his players from the first day. He deserves everything.
Popovich has won five titles and is a three-time Coach of the Year winner. He had a streak of 22 straight playoff appearances and had a record 23 consecutive winning regular seasons.
Popovich joined the Spurs staff in 1988 after coaching at Pomona-Pitzer. After four seasons with the Spurs, Popovich joined Nelson's staff in Golden State as an assistant.
Nelson hired him as an assistant coach in Golden State in 1992 and thought he could learn from him. I learned more from him than I did from me.
Popovich was with Golden State for two seasons before returning to San Antonio as the general manager and VP of basketball operations.
Popovich took over as head coach in 1997 after moving back to the bench.
Milwaukee head coach Mike Budenholzer, who spent 17 seasons as a Spurs assistant coach, said it was a no-brainer. The success, consistency and longevity, and the impact he has had on an entire organization, on individual players, on coaches, on GMs, on scouts, on equipment guys, on families. He has been incredibly impactful in so many ways, it goes way beyond the wins and the games.
I don't think you will ever see that again from one organization, because for 20 years to be a championship contender, playing for playoffs, I just don't think you will ever see that again. I think that is the thing that I know I am most in awe of, the New England run.
It has been difficult for Popovich to get a win this season with the Spurs in a rebuilding phase. His ability to adapt to the times, his talent and skills on his roster are just some of the examples of his greatness, according to those close to him.
David Robinson, a Hall of Fame center, said that he thinks he's adjusted. We were a dominant defensive team, to the teams with Kawhi Leonard and all those guys, they were dominant on the offensive side. On both sides, they had a nice mix. He has had to adjust to a very different team.
I think that is what makes him great. How do you win most of your games for 25 years? It is ridiculous. It is pretty amazing.
The players and peers of Popovich have respected him. Popovich has always taken a stand for social justice and racial equality.
While Popovich has won more games than any other NBA coach, some of his players and staff members still remember how he kept his team together after a lot of losses.
After the Spurs lost in the NBA Finals in part due to Ray Allen's 3-point shot, Popovich gathered his team for dinner in Miami and consoled them. San Antonio beat the Heat in the Finals the next season after they beat the Spurs in seven games.
After losing Game 6 when it was almost the championship, he said to win it together. Together, lose it. He went one table at a time with different players and we looked at each other. That was a great example of leadership, trying to hold us together and optimistic about the next one, or trying to find answers.
This report was contributed to by several people.
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