When the San Antonio Spurs selected Frenchman Victor Wembanyama first overall in the 2023 NBA Draft last June, it was unclear whether veteran coach Gregg Popovich would be a part of the organization’s long-term plans.
The franchise wasted no time bringing back the league’s all-time winningest coach, signing Popovich to a five-year extension in July.
This may have been an unpopular thing to do in today’s sports world. Despite having one of, if not the most impressive coaching resumes in NBA history, Popovich turned 75 in January. Not only has Pop had the crown of being the oldest coach in league history since turning 72, but he currently oversees the youngest team in the association, with the average age on the roster being 23.52 years old.
Popovich has undoubtedly shattered the mold by being the oldest coach in American professional basketball history, though notable clubs in other sports leagues are deciding to go in different, younger directions themselves.
The NFL’s Seattle Seahawks decided to part ways with football’s oldest coach, Pete Carroll (72), on Jan. 10. This was just days before the New England Patriots cut ties with 71-year-old Bill Belichick before hiring Jerod Mayo, who is 37. Alabama football, perhaps the greatest college football program, also made a coaching change the same week in January after Nick Saban (71) retired. The Crimson Tide has since hired a 49-year-old Kalen DeBoer.
Though the sports leagues may vary, there is a clear indication for teams to try and get younger at head coach to try and relate with all the 20 and 30-year-olds in the locker rooms.
The question is, why are the Spurs sticking with Pop?
Since its 48-34 record in 2018-19, San Antonio is on pace for its fifth straight losing season. In most cases, the coach would be fired by the organization at this point. However, Popovich has the reputation of being an all-time great player and character developer, and when drafting the best prospect in two decades in Wembanyama, who better to be at the coaching helm?
The Spurs crossed the halfway point in the season on Saturday when Wemby led the team with 24 points in a 131-127 victory over Washington. At 8-34, it seems that this team is no better than the one last year, who was 13-28 midway through the 82-game schedule. Despite this, the Silver and Black seem to be heading in the right direction in the new calendar year.
In Monday’s 109-99 loss to Atlanta, Popovich had Wembanyama, Tre Jones and Devin Vassell sit on the bench to start the second half.
“The starters needed some sort of message or infusion of something,” Popovich said. “I thought the starting team in the third quarter made their point. They played. They competed.”
Once returning to the court, Wembanyama scored all 26 of his points in the remainder of the game. The 7-foot-3 center has also been playing with a strict minutes restriction for precautionary reasons, pointing out more of Popovich’s traditional ways.
“[Wembanyama] is receptive to any type of coaching,” Popovich said. “[He has] a really high IQ. He understands the game intuitively. You explain something to him, and he understands it.”
All NBA watchers, including Wembanyama and the Spurs front office, knew Popovich would not change his traditional coaching ways to appease a younger locker room. And though Popovich is not getting any younger, he still has plenty of wisdom to pass on.
Just like the aforementioned coach Belichick had an unselfish leader in Tom Brady through the 2000s, Pop had his own in Tim Duncan. With the writing on the wall for Wemby to be another selfless all-timer, perhaps Pop at 75 is the best man for the job.
