Yahoo Finance Gregg Popovich becomes third NBA coach to reach 1,300 wins
One of the best coaches in basketball just entered another exclusive club.
Gregg Popovich picked up the 1,300th regular season win of his career on Saturday, leading his San Antonio Spurs to a 120-104 win over the Chicago Bulls. Only two other coaches have achieved that milestone: Popovich's mentor Don Nelson (1,335 regular season wins) and Lenny Wilkens (1,332).
Congrats to @spurs coach Gregg Popovich on becoming the 3rd head coach in NBA history to win 1,300 games! pic.twitter.com/RV603wqj2L
— NBA (@NBA) March 28, 2021
Entering the 1,300-win club is probably only the warm-up act for Popovich when it comes to milestones, as he is now 35 wins away from tying Nelson for the title of winningest coach in NBA history. With 29 games left in the regular season, the earliest Popovich can do it is next season, but it's only a matter of when for the 72-year-old as long as he doesn't retire.
Of course, depending on your standards for the title of winningest coach, Popovich may already hold the title. If you count playoff wins in the total, Popovich passed both Nelson and Wilkens in 2019. He currently holds 284 wins in the playoffs, which would give him 1,584 wins.
It's not like Popovich needs the title, however, to cement his legacy as one of the NBA's greatest coaches, if not the greatest. A five-time champion who turned San Antonio into an NBA giant and one of the most forward-thinking minds basketball has ever seen, Popovich's place in basketball history was sealed long ago.
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