In January, Spurs president-coach Gregg Popovich said he didn’t know whether he’d retire after after this season, the final year of his contract.
Mike Finger of the San Antonio-Express News:
Jabari Young of The Athletic:
Asked about his coaching future, Gregg Popovich joked he’s in negotiations with 3 teams... #Spurs are 1 of them @TheAthleticNBA 🎥 pic.twitter.com/VvBX4kEanI
— Jabari Young (@JabariJYoung) April 29, 2019
And..as he walked away, Popovich wished the media a great summer and said we’ll joke some more in the fall. Think that’s another way of saying he plans to be back. #Spurs
— Jabari Young (@JabariJYoung) April 29, 2019
Popovich will coach Team USA in the 2019 World Cup and 2020 Olympics. So, he’s definitely not walking away entirely.
Does the 70-year-old want to continue with his NBA workload? I think so. He strikes a good work-life balance, and he’s one of the greatest coaches of all-time. Far more than any other NBA team with its coach, the Spurs are built around him. If he remains, San Antonio has a fighting chance to make the playoffs. Again.
But it has been a trying couple years. Under his watch, the Spurs alienated and traded their franchise player, Kawhi Leonard. In their last game, Popovich couldn’t reach his team at a crucial moment.
Popovich has earned the right to take as long as he wants to decide on a new contract. I suspect, though, he’ll eventually sign one.
