Legendary San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, 74, has signed a new five-year contract with the NBA club, the team announced on Saturday. The one who is also president of basketball operations for the Texas franchise will therefore be the mentor for the years to come of Frenchman Victor Wembanyama. The 19-year-old 2.24m player was picked by the Spurs last month as the first pick in the NBA draft.
Named to the Hall of Fame this year, Popovich has led Spurs to five NBA titles since taking charge of the team in 1996, making him the longest serving coach in any major sports league. Americans. He also led an American team of NBA stars that won gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Record amount?
Popovich’s extension was announced in a two-sentence statement that did not reveal the financial terms of the deal, but according to ESPN, which cites unnamed sources, his contract as coach and primary decision-maker on recruitment would earn him more than 80 million dollars (73 million euros). This amount would exceed the six-year contract, worth 78.5 million dollars (71.5 million euros), that Monty Williams would have signed at the end of May to coach the Detroit Pistons.
Popovich, three-time NBA coach of the year, is the winningest coach in the history of the North American basketball league in terms of games won. His recognized work with big players and international talents gives him a perfect resume to facilitate Wembanyama’s adaptation to the NBA. “Pop” has won titles with former greats David Robinson and Tim Duncan, as well as foreign stars like Frenchman Tony Parker and Argentinian Manu Ginobili.