Gregg Popovich’s banner joins Spurs legends at Frost Bank Center.
SAN ANTONIO — With no pomp and circumstance, no official notice, former San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich’s name now hangs in the rafters at the Frost Bank Center.
Popovich’s banner features his name, “Pop,” with a Hall of Fame note and his total wins, 1,390.
And appropriately, his banner is next to the trio of players he guided to win five NBA titles—Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, and Tim Duncan—and among the rest of the Spurs legends.
Popovich retired from coaching after suffering a stroke last season. There were thoughts he could recover and return to coaching, but it never came to pass.
Then assistant coach Mitch Johnson took over as interim coach before being promoted to full-time coach this offseason.
Popovich did not retire completely.
He moved into the executive staff as President of Basketball Operations, or “El Jefe” as he said during Johnson’s press conference naming him head coach.
Pop served as the Spurs’ head coach for 29 years.
“I’m forever grateful to the wonderful players, coaches, staff, and fans who allowed me to serve them as the Spurs head coach and am excited for the opportunity to continue to support the organization, community, and city that are so meaningful to me,” Popovich said.
In his first 22 seasons as coach, the Spurs had 22 winning seasons, the first 20 of which won at least 60 percent of their games.