By Ohm Youngmisuk | ESPN, 2025-05-03 00:37:00
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
编者按：这篇文章最初发表于2022年3月，当时格雷格·波波维奇成为了NBA历史上胜场最多的教练。在2025年5月2日，ESPN的沙姆斯·查拉尼亚报道称，波波维奇将不再担任马刺队的主教练，而是全职转任篮球运营总裁。
近二十年来，马努·吉诺比利与圣安东尼奥马刺队教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)一起吃了数百次晚餐，进行了无数次谈话，讨论的话题涵盖了“政治、战争、比赛和孩子们”。
波波维奇甚至在凌晨1点带着葡萄酒出现在吉诺比利的家门口，安慰他在一场艰难比赛后的失落。
但在所有与波波的“著名晚餐”中，有一顿将永远突出。
“那是在酒店附近一家名为Il Gabbiano的餐厅，”这位效力马刺多年的后卫告诉ESPN。“即使我想忘记，也无法忘记。”
在迈阿密一家意大利语意为海鸥的餐厅里，震惊的球员们在难以置信中啜泣着，互相看着，而波波安慰着每一位马刺球员。
那天晚上早些时候，2013年6月18日，马刺队距离庆祝又一次总冠军仅差几秒钟，这时雷·阿伦投中了NBA总决赛历史上最具标志性的进球之一。
对于马刺队来说，这无疑是波波维奇时代最沉重的打击，迈阿密热火队在加时赛中赢下了第六场比赛，随后又赢下了第七场比赛，夺得了NBA总冠军。尽管如此，波波还是坚持了他的惯例，召集了他的球队。
“那几乎就是已经到手的总冠军，”吉诺比利说道，近十年后，他的声音中仍然带着痛苦。“[但波波的]话是，‘一起赢，一起输。人总是要吃饭的。’
“所以我们一起吃了。”
即使是迈阿密海滨最好的意大利菜肴和葡萄酒也无法洗去阿伦投篮的苦涩味道，或者对于吉诺比利来说，克里斯·波什在他头上抢下进攻篮板，然后在角落里找到阿伦投出三分的那个球。
那天晚上，一个总冠军溜走了。但当球员们在脑海中重播阿伦的接球跳投三分时，波波维奇做了许多与他关系最密切的人所说的那件事，那就是他成为有史以来最伟大教练的原因：他陪伴在朋友和球员身边，告诉他们真相，并分享生活中还有比篮球更重要的东西。
“我们谈话，基本上是一起哭泣，”吉诺比利说。“他走到一张又一张桌子旁，与不同的球员交谈，并在我们感到沮丧时试图让我们振作起来。”
这位安慰和富有同情心的导师波波维奇，在圣安东尼奥以104-102战胜犹他爵士队的比赛中，超越了唐·尼尔森，以1336场胜利成为NBA历史上胜场最多的教练。这些胜利证明了这位73岁的老人有能力适应不断变化的比赛，培养人际关系，并拥有像比利切克一样长久的成功。
许多在波波维奇周围的人都谈到他具有一种不可思议的能力，无论在什么情况下都能让人看清事物的本质。
“我们多次听到他的口头禅是，‘如果这是你一生中发生的最糟糕的事情，那么你拥有非常幸运、幸福和富足的生活，’”吉诺比利说。
在迈阿密晚餐一年后，马刺队以4-1击败热火队，赢得了他们的第五个总冠军。
“他会要求你做到最好，”与马刺队一起度过了16个赛季的吉诺比利说。“让他变得伟大的事情是，第二天，或者一旦发生，几个小时后，第二天，甚至在圣诞节[在他的房子里]，你认为他很生气，沮丧，对你感到失望。
“然后突然间你们在喝酒聊天。好像[比赛中发生的一切]都没有发生过一样。”
对于他的每一场1393场胜利，似乎都有更多关于波波维奇影响生活的故事，这些影响超越了篮球比赛本身。以下是其他曾与波波共事过或为他效力过的人告诉ESPN的，是什么让这位胜场最多的NBA教练如此成功：
管理球队，即使在圣诞节
*托尼·帕克(Tony Parker) *，一位前马刺队控球后卫，19岁时从法国来到NBA。他与波波维奇一起度过了17个赛季，赢得了四个总冠军，并荣获2007年总决赛MVP。
“我关于波波最好的故事是在圣诞节期间，我们本应该一起吃圣诞晚餐。他承诺我们不会工作。过了一会儿，我却在他的房间里为下一场比赛看录像。所以永远不要停止工作。
“他的坚韧、他渴望胜利的渴望、他的职业道德，这些都是我能[最恰当]描述他的词语。对我来说，他就像我职业生涯中的第二个父亲。非常幸运能拥有他几乎整个职业生涯。他管理球队和每个人的自负的能力，以及他与每个人相处的方式[使他成为有史以来最伟大的教练]。为波波感到非常高兴。这是一个了不起的成就。” – 马克·斯皮尔斯
埃利必须“进入比赛状态”
*名人堂中锋 *大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson) 在马刺队效力了14个赛季。“海军上将”获得了无数个人奖项，包括MVP和得分王，之后与蒂姆·邓肯和波波维奇一起赢得了两个总冠军。
“我认为其中一件非常有趣的事情是，这展示了波波是如何处理不同性格的人的。有一次我们在看录像，马里奥·埃利(Mario Elie)在录像中投了一些球，但那些都是糟糕的投篮。所以波波说，‘拜托，马里奥。好球，坏球？’马里奥就像是说，‘拜托，波波。我必须进入比赛状态。’波波只是笑了。这就是他处理事情的方式。他知道什么时候该推动你，触动你的痛点，什么时候该退后。而且多年来他一直是一位伟大的鼓励者。我认为大多数在这里打过球的人都觉得波波是站在你这边的。这[与其他教练]并不总是这样。” – 戴夫·麦克梅纳明
探路者波波以多种方式展现关怀
*作为马刺队三个赛季的助理教练， *迈克·布朗(Mike Brown) （现任萨克拉门托国王队主教练）看到了波波维奇在球场外是如何深切关怀他人的。
“我永远不会忘记这件事：我们聘请了一位体能教练担任实习生，他挣的钱很少。他的实习期结束了。他在科罗拉多州找到了一份新的工作，担任青年辅导员。他没有钱搬过去，而且我们后来才知道，波波给他买了一辆全新的[日产]探路者，仅仅是因为他知道这位年轻人没有真正的手段到达目的地并开始他作为青年牧师的新生活。
“另一个故事是我当时正在经历分居……我的孩子们和他们的母亲住在科罗拉多州，而我[在圣安东尼奥]。我永远不会忘记，他们在这里待了大约一个星期，我的姐姐正要带他们回去，因为我们即将开始客场之旅。所以当我把他们送到机场时，[球队的]飞机离[起飞]不远了。他们[孩子们]在登机口哭得很厉害，因为他们不想走。我快要迟到了。我左右为难。
“我打电话给波波[并说]，‘我就要到了，我在机场，我的孩子们很难登上飞机回去。但请再给我几分钟。’他说，‘迈克，你最好留在这里。’我说：‘不，不，不，波波。’因为我们要去芝加哥，那是我的球探工作，我需要去。[我告诉波波]，‘孩子们会没事的。’
“他说，‘如果你出现在这架飞机上，你就被解雇了。’我说，‘波波，拜托，伙计！听着，我已经打包好了，准备好了。我马上就到。[过一会儿]。’他说，‘记住，如果我在这架飞机上看到你，你就被解雇了。’咔嚓。他挂断了我的电话。所以我多和孩子们待了三天。所以实际上只是脱口而出的两个故事，还有很多故事都展现了他真正的性格。” – 肯德拉·安德鲁斯
波波和企鹅
*萨克拉门托国王队后卫 *德玛尔·德罗赞(DeMar DeRozan) 在圣安东尼奥效力了三个赛季，但他不会忘记一次录像课，他和马刺队从国家地理频道那里上了一堂关于人生的课。
“我记得波波让我们看了一部关于企鹅的国家地理电影。这非常有趣。它基本上是在学习团队合作。如何团结一致，追求一个共同的目标，无论那个目标是什么。我以为那天我们会看比赛录像。但我们看了一部完整的企鹅电影——那是他妈的最有趣的事情。
“它们如何迁徙。雄性如何在雌性外出几个月寻找食物时看守蛋。它们如何走60英里到水边，再走60英里回来，而雄性则在看守——这是他妈的最疯狂的事情。但每个人基本上都在扮演自己的角色。但从企鹅的角度来看待它，这很符合波波的风格。” – 贾马尔·科利尔
“他足够关心我，告诉我真相”
*蒙蒂·威廉姆斯(Monty Williams) 从1996年到1998年为马刺队效力了两个多赛季。他在2004-05赛季的总冠军赛季中以马刺队实习生的身份开始了教练生涯，并在2016年至2018年期间在前台担任篮球运营副总裁。在威廉姆斯的妻子英格丽德于2016年在俄克拉荷马城担任助理教练期间死于车祸后，波波维奇想去看望他。
“我一直认为他被误解了。因为他可以为政治问题挺身而出。或者如果你观看比赛中的采访，你可能会想，‘天啊，那家伙真粗鲁。’但在我人生中的艰难时刻，他对我无微不至的关怀，告诉我所有我需要了解他的信息。当我在俄克拉荷马雷霆队时，他感到很受伤，因为我不让他飞过来。我知道他有很多事情要做。他就像是说，‘蒙，我正在登上飞机过来。’我说，‘波波。我很好。我只需要想清楚这件事。’他只是不断地告诉我，‘蒙，你必须让人帮助你。’
“它影响了我，因为我从90年代中期就和他在一起了。他一直在研究我。他知道我独立到了一种地步，这是一种缺点。他知道我信任的唯一的人已经不在了。所以在他的脑海中，他一直试图向我传达这一点。我会挂断电话，看着我的手机，心想，‘他为什么一直这么说？’他足够关心我，告诉我真相。这就是我们关系中一直让我印象深刻的事情。
“除了希克曼教练（我的高中教练）和韦斯特布鲁克教练（我的橄榄球教练，他邀请我去教堂）之外，在我的生活中，在运动方面和个人方面，没有人比波波更重要，因为他对我和我的家人都非常关心。以及他在我人生中艰难的日子里对我说的话。” – 布莱恩·温德霍斯特
“我从他那里学到的比他从我那里学到的更多”
*作为一位凭借其独特的进攻体系而闻名于世的传奇创新者， *唐·尼尔森(Don Nelson) 执教了31个赛季，是有史以来排名前十的教练之一，他帮助创造了控球前锋的趋势，并且保持着职业生涯胜场纪录，直到波波维奇超越了他。
“他是有史以来最伟大的教练。当我在[1992年]金州勇士队聘请他担任助理教练时，我认为他可以从我那里学到一些东西。但我从他那里学到的比他从我这里学到的更多，这是肯定的。
“当我聘请他时，我第一次见到他是在他飞来接受面试时。我想我当天就聘请了他……我曾看过他在比赛前工作，我只是认为那是我应该拥有的人。他的一切都比我曾经认为的要多得多。
“他来到金州勇士队后做的第一件事就是为年轻的孩子们设立了一个夏季联赛，让他们可以参加比赛，远离街头。他们会从晚上10点一直打到凌晨2点。他因此获得了[一个]奖项。他每天晚上都和孩子们在一起。那是在奥克兰。有数百名孩子参与了这个项目。这太棒了。他在让孩子们远离街头，避免麻烦方面做得非常出色。” – 巴克斯特·霍姆斯
幽默感在圣安东尼奥是强制性的
*迈克·布登霍尔泽(Mike Budenholzer) 在马刺队担任了17个赛季的助理教练，在2013-14赛季登陆亚特兰大老鹰队之前，在圣安东尼奥赢得了四个总冠军。他于2021年赢得了密尔沃基雄鹿队的主教练职位。
“我要说的是，当他在评估球员或我们评估球员时，如果他们没有幽默感，他们可能无法在圣安东尼奥待下去。如果他们不能笑，特别是不能自嘲，那么拥有幽默感就非常重要。他喜欢和那些有良好幽默感、聪明且自嘲的人在一起。
“如果他们不能嘲笑自己，并且没有他、蒂姆·邓肯和马努以及其他所有人所拥有的自嘲精神，这会引起一些警觉。我只想告诉你这是真的。这是一个你必须通过的真正的检查点。” – Youngmisuk
波波在奥运会上的“大师班”
*史蒂夫·科尔(Steve Kerr) 和波波的渊源很深，这位前马刺队后卫曾与圣安东尼奥一起赢得了两个总冠军（1999年和2003年）。科尔，现任金州勇士队教练，也曾是波波维奇的美国奥运会教练团队的成员，该团队在2020年东京奥运会上赢得了金牌。
“他是一个很注重隐私的人。很多事情，很多故事，我不知道他是否愿意公开。他重视他自己以及他周围的人的隐私。我可以告诉你，他偷偷地将一些葡萄酒带入了东京希尔顿酒店，我希望他们不会引渡他并对他进行追溯性惩罚。
“我们在东京举行的教练会议非常出色。在领导力、友谊和化学反应方面的大师班，能够参与其中真是太好了。作为一名同事，看到他在幕后工作让我感到惊讶。我为他效力了四年，但作为他的助手是不同的。” – 安德鲁斯
“还记得Pelle Pelle这个品牌吗？”
*查德·福西尔(Chad Forcier) 从2007年到2016年在马刺队担任了九个赛季的助理教练。他在2013-14赛季与马刺队一起赢得了总冠军。
“其中一个故事展现了人性的一面，就他而言，在于他对人类的意识，他对人类的同情心，以及总是如此迅速地意识到需要尽其所能地帮助他人——很久以前的一天晚上，我们在多伦多的一家名为Ristorante Sotto Sotto的餐厅共进晚餐。那天晚上多伦多异常寒冷。可能只有5度左右。波波穿着这件皮夹克。还记得Pelle Pelle这个品牌吗？他穿着这件设计师品牌夹克。他穿上它，我们开始步行返回四季酒店。我们看到了一个无家可归的人。我们有六七个人一起走着，在NBA的所有城市中，那一晚那里的气温一定是最低的。
“波波看到了他，也许走过他，注意到他靠在门口，停了下来，伸手进口袋。我不知道他有多少现金，但他揉成一团钞票，塞进他的外套口袋里，脱下他的皮夹克，盖在那个无家可归的人身上，给他一层温暖。那个人从来没有醒来；他睡着了。我们走了四五个街区，波波穿着他的纽扣式衬衫。我们继续走。” – 霍姆斯
“有一个波波维奇黑手党”
*埃里克·斯波尔斯特拉(Erik Spoelstra) ，迈阿密热火队教练，将永远与波波维奇联系在一起，因为热火队和马刺队在2013年和2014年连续两次在NBA总决赛中相遇，这两支球队都是NBA中运营最好的球队。斯波尔斯特拉在2013年对阵圣安东尼奥的七场系列赛中赢得了他的第二个总教练冠军。斯波尔斯特拉还与波波一起在美国篮球协会工作，担任2021年选拔队的主教练，该队与2020年美国奥运代表队一起训练和对抗。
“我们非常感谢有机会与这两个组织以及马刺队一起登上最大的舞台……但我最珍贵的回忆是今年夏天，甚至只是在[美国队]项目中与他一起工作的那两个半星期。我们可以用几天的时间来谈论他的名人堂篮球资质，但我只是喜欢他这个人，以及他如何让你觉得自己很重要。而且这包括房间里的每个人。这是一种天赋，一种技能，他的人力管理能力，是我见过的最好的。
“你知道我开玩笑说吗？因为我实际上从未参与过美国队项目。这就是为什么我对有机会参与其中感到如此荣幸和兴奋。一旦我们吃了晚餐并完成了一切，我最终向波波提到，‘我觉得多年来我一直是[帕特]·莱利黑手党的一员，还有一个波波维奇黑手党，然后还有一个[杰里]·科朗吉洛黑手党。所以我们有所有不同的家族，我非常感谢你允许我成为其中的一员。’” – 温德霍斯特
不管输赢，“生活都会继续”
*泰勒·詹金斯(Taylor Jenkins) 于2007年作为马刺队篮球运营部门的实习生开始了他在NBA的职业生涯，最终在加入布登霍尔泽在亚特兰大和密尔沃基的教练组之前，在奥斯汀执教了马刺队的D联赛球队。他是孟菲斯灰熊队的主教练。
“可能我对波波最美好的回忆是2011年，那是他们赛季末。我当时在奥斯汀公牛队[担任助理教练]。他们[马刺队]是头号种子，碰巧他们对阵的是孟菲斯灰熊队，后者是八号种子。这是一个艰苦的系列赛，灰熊队击败了马刺队，这显然是一场非常艰难的失利。尽管赛季结束时如此艰难，但我记得接到了前台某人的电话，他说，‘嘿，波波想邀请你和所有的教练和球员到他家参加赛季末派对。’
“所有的球员和他们的家人和孩子们都在那里。他邀请了整个D联赛的工作人员，我们只是吃了一顿丰盛的晚餐，知道生活会继续下去，生活会很好。让我们仍然庆祝这是一个伟大的赛季，而不是出去，在接下来的几个月里一直想着‘如果……’。
“他炫耀了他的酒窖。我记得走进厨房，他让他最喜欢的厨师从他在旧金山最喜欢的餐厅飞到圣安东尼奥，为每个人准备了所有的饭菜。我坐在那里，像墙上的苍蝇一样，就像我在健身房里一样，对友谊、家庭氛围、团结感到惊讶。显然，每个人都在脑海中感到刺痛。
“你只是看到波波以如此多种不同的方式领导，将人们聚集在一起。看到那一刻，当一个总冠军可能触手可及时，他们遇到了与灰熊队的艰难对决，他仍然说，‘嘿，我们仍然有很多可以享受的东西。没有什么比享受彼此更好的了。’这非常特别。他一整天都面带微笑，在厨房和露台上社交，带人们去他的酒窖，孩子们在泳池边玩耍。然后他拥抱我和整个D联赛的工作人员真的很特别，因为每个人都是这段旅程的一部分。” – 蒂姆·麦克马洪
只是“基德”在开玩笑，波波
*在2003年夏天， *杰森·基德(Jason Kidd) 是最受欢迎的自由球员，波波维奇和马刺队对基德进行了全场紧逼。在他唯一的自由球员拜访中，基德最初承诺加盟马刺队，但后来改变了主意，与新泽西网队重新签约。基德是达拉斯小牛队的主教练。
“如果我没记错的话，我醒来时，套房里有一位厨师在做早餐……我感到很惊讶。这是一次很棒的[拜访]……和他、邓肯坐在一起，然后去训练设施，这次展示给我留下了非常深刻的印象。
“波波，他们在把我带到圣安东尼奥，告诉我我将如何与邓肯和帕克融洽相处方面做得非常出色。我承诺了他们，然后离开了。当我回到新泽西时，情况发生了变化。我不知道他是否接受了这一点。但是他是一个令人难以置信、不可思议的人，一位令人难以置信的教练。我仍然在想，如果我当时承诺加盟圣安东尼奥，那会是什么样的结果。
“[波波]只是说了实话。只是说，‘我们只需要你的天赋。我们希望你成为我们的一员，帮助我们赢得总冠军。’他从不拐弯抹角。他非常诚实，直率，告诉我他对我的期望……我很赞同。我以为我真的要去圣安东尼奥了。我非常兴奋，但是情况发生了变化。不幸的是。” – Youngmisuk
双倍晚餐，双倍腰围
*丹尼斯·林赛(Dennis Lindsey) 在犹他爵士队聘请他担任总经理之前，从2007年到2012年担任马刺队的副总裁和助理总经理。他现在是爵士队的顾问。
“晚餐是出了名的。双倍的晚餐，我们这些人试图避免参加晚餐，因为我们变得太胖了。总是让我印象深刻的是波波花时间寻找餐馆、菜单、葡萄酒菜单……有很多故事。布雷特·布朗试图跳过晚餐。史蒂夫·科尔和丹尼·费里试图弄清楚波波会去哪家餐馆，作为球员，这样他们就可以免费用餐。我们在季后赛对阵快船队，丹尼和我的腰围变得太粗了，所以我们决定跳过一两道菜。你知道，[餐桌旁]有20个人。波波研究过这家餐馆。每个人都试图比他先到餐馆，但他总是第一个到那里。丹尼和我跳过了这些菜，波波大声喊道，‘嘿，费里，林赛！别以为我不知道你们想跳过一些菜！给我好好吃！’
“但是圣安东尼奥项目最伟大的礼物是，我们很多人可能会从事篮球运动——也许会执教高中或小型大学的篮球——但是如果没有圣安东尼奥的认可，我们很多人都不会达到我们所取得的地位。” – 麦克马洪
“肯定会好好享受”
*德章泰·穆雷(Dejounte Murray) 在2016年被圣安东尼奥队在首轮选中。在2022年，他入选了他的第一个全明星赛。
“波波不喜欢赞扬。他不喜欢任何这些。这在某种程度上是好事。但你也想提醒他他的成功，因为这很罕见。因为他是一个只想专注于获胜和每天进步的人。他从不提及任何赞扬自己的事情。
“我们不谈论它，但当我们[获得纪录]时，我们肯定会好好享受，因为他是一个伟大的人，他值得拥有它。他会推动他所有的球员，无论你是第一个球员、最后一个球员、G联赛球员还是签了10天合同的球员，他从第一天起就拥抱你。他值得拥有一切。我们不谈论它，但我期待着为他赢得这个纪录，因为它会很重要，对他有好处。” – 温德霍斯特
“他是一个非常积极的人，而不是消极的人”
*在作为西顿霍尔大学男子篮球队的教练取得成功之后， *P.J.卡莱西莫(P.J. Carlesimo) 在NBA执教了九个赛季。他还曾在波波维奇的教练组中担任了五个赛季的助理教练，目前是ESPN的NBA分析师。
“在我在那里的五年里，我们赢得了三个总冠军。他是一位优秀的教练，但对我来说，更重要的是他与球员在场上和场下建立联系的能力。而且他花在场下与球员建立关系上的时间比我认为大多数教练都多，他有与人建立联系的能力，而且他真正关心他们以及他们的家庭和他们作为个人——这传达了出来，球员们知道这一点。我认为这也增强了他有时会严格要求的能力——因为他的确很严格。但他是一个非常积极的人，而不是消极的人。球员们想为他效力，因为他们知道他关心他们。
“所以，与参与该项目或多年来一直参与该项目的人们之间一直存在对话。食物也是其中的一部分，说实话。他总是说，如果你有朋友，就把他们[带到晚餐]。”他有一条规定——如果他曾经在一家餐馆里，而一位球员或一位助理教练也在那家餐馆里，他就会买单。而且他放下的不是圣安东尼奥的信用卡；而是一张个人信用卡。* – 霍姆斯
不同的时代和不同的世代
*安东尼奥·丹尼尔斯(Antonio Daniels) ，控球后卫，在马刺队效力了四个赛季，并在1999年赢得了一个总冠军。
“我来告诉你为什么我认为他是这项运动历史上最伟大的教练。因为他有能力适应不同的时代、不同的世代和不同的十年。其他人做不到这一点。我对其他任何教练都没有不敬之意。但是有些教练在执教一种特定的风格时取得了成功。如果那种风格和阵容的构建方式与那种特定的执教风格不符，那么它就不会奏效。波波有能力根据他的球员来使用和改变他的进攻风格……作为一名教练，他有能力在比赛中随时调整，这真是令人难以置信。” – 安德鲁·洛佩兹
“这是下一场比赛。我们准备好了吗？”
*乔·普伦蒂(Joe Prunty) 于1996年作为马刺队的助理视频协调员开始了他在NBA的职业生涯。他在马刺队担任过各种职位，包括助理教练，直到2005年，并在圣安东尼奥赢得了三个总冠军。
“他想赢得下一场比赛，这就是他教给我的一件事：‘好吧，这是下一场比赛。我们为此做好了准备吗？我们该怎么做？让我们去做吧。’这与我无关。这与我们能完成什么有关。
“他很有竞争力。甚至在我认识他之前他就很有竞争力，知道他在学院里的那些故事，或者只是他的构建方式，以及参加会议、制定战略，不遗余力。他把人们最好的一面发挥出来，就好像是，‘听着，这就是我们需要你做的。’他要求很高。他希望你变得伟大，这就是为什么那些经历过这个项目并取得成功的球员，不仅是作为球员，而且还转到不同的球队，如果他们没有留下来，而且还成为教练和总经理——那些与他一起工作并离开的教练——他给了你那种信心，因为他希望你参与进来。” – 麦克梅纳明
点击查看原文：Gregg Popovich, an NBA legend: Stories you've never heard about the San Antonio Spurs, Team USA coach
Gregg Popovich, an NBA legend: Stories you’ve never heard about the San Antonio Spurs, Team USA coach
Editor’s note: This story was originally published in March 2022, when Gregg Popovich became the NBA’s all-time leader in coaching wins. On May 2, 2025, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Popovich will no longer be head coach of the Spurs and is transitioning full-time to team president of basketball operations.
For nearly two decades, Manu Ginobili has had hundreds of dinners and countless talks with San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, discussing everything from “politics, war, the game or kids.”
Popovich even showed up at Ginobili’s door at 1 in the morning with wine to cheer him up after a tough game.
But one dinner above all the “famous dinners” with Pop will forever stand out.
“It was a restaurant by the hotel called Il Gabbiano,” the longtime Spurs guard told ESPN. “Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t forget it.”
At a Miami restaurant named seagull in Italian, stunned players were sobbing and looking at one another in disbelief as Pop consoled each Spur.
Earlier that evening, on June 18, 2013, the Spurs were seconds away from celebrating another championship when Ray Allen hit one of the most iconic shots in NBA Finals history.
It was as crushing a blow to the Spurs as any during the Popovich era, as the Miami Heat won Game 6 in overtime before taking Game 7 and the NBA Finals. Still, Pop stuck to his routine and gathered his team.
“It was almost the championship won,” said Ginobili, the pain still audible in his voice nearly a decade later. "[But Pop’s] phrase was, ‘Win it together. Lose it together. Man’s got to eat.’
“So we ate together.”
Not even the finest Italian dishes and wine on the Miami waterfront could cleanse the bitter taste of Allen’s shot or, for Ginobili, the offensive rebound Chris Bosh snatched over him before finding Allen in the corner for the 3.
A championship slipped away that night. But as players were replaying the catch-and-shoot Allen 3 in their heads, Popovich did what so many of those closest to him say is what makes him the greatest of all time: He’s there for friends and players, telling them the truth and sharing that there is more in life than basketball.
“We talked and we basically cried together,” Ginobili said. “He went one table at a time with different players and had conversations and tried to cheer us up when we were devastated.”
Popovich, the consoling and compassionate mentor, surpassed Don Nelson on Friday in San Antonio’s 104-102 win over Utah for the title of the NBA’s winningest coach with 1,336 wins. The victories are a testament to the 73-year-old’s ability to adapt to a constantly changing game and to nurture relationships, and his Belichickian longevity of success.
Many of those in the Popovich orbit talk about his uncanny ability to put things in perspective no matter the circumstances.
“One of his phrases that we’ve heard many times is, ‘If this is the worst thing that happened to you in your life, you got a very lucky, blessed and fortunate life,’” Ginobili said.
A year after that dinner in Miami, the Spurs beat the Heat 4-1 to win their fifth championship.
“He demands the most out of you,” said Ginobili, who spent 16 seasons with the Spurs. "The thing that makes him great was the day after, or once it happened, a couple hours later, the following day or even on Christmas Day [at his house], you think that he was pissed, upset, disappointed at you.
“And then all of a sudden you are drinking wine and talking. Like [whatever happened in the game] didn’t happen.”
For every one of his 1,393 wins, there seem to be even more stories about Popovich’s ability to impact lives in ways that go beyond the game. Here is what others who have worked with and played for Pop told ESPN about what makes the winningest NBA coach so successful:
Managing a team, even on Christmas
Tony Parker, a former Spurs point guard, arrived in the NBA as a 19-year-old from France. He spent 17 seasons with Popovich and won four championships and was the 2007 Finals MVP.
"My best Pop story is during Christmas, we were supposed to have Christmas dinner. He promised that we were not going to work. After a while, I was in his room doing film for the next game. So never stop working.
“His toughness, his desire to win, his work ethic, that is the stuff that I can [best] describe him. For me, he was like a second father for my career. Very blessed to have him for almost my whole career. His ability to manage a team and everybody’s egos and the way that he got along with everybody [is what makes him the greatest coach of all time]. Very happy for Pop. That is a helluva achievement.” – Marc Spears
Elie has to get his ‘game on’
Hall of Fame center David Robinson played 14 seasons with the Spurs. “The Admiral” collected numerous individual awards, including MVP and a scoring title, before winning two championships with Tim Duncan and Popovich.
“One of the things I think is real funny but this shows how Pop handles different personalities. We were watching film one time and Mario Elie, he was taking some shots on the film and they were bad shots. So Pop said, ‘Come on, Mario. Good shot, bad shot?’ And Mario was like, ‘Come on, Pop. I got to get my game on.’ And Pop just laughed. It’s the way he handles 'em. He knows when to push you, push your buttons and when to back off. And he’s been such a great encourager over the years. I think most of the people that have played here feel like Pop is on your side. Which is not always the case [with other coaches].” – Dave McMenamin
Pathfinder Pop shows compassion in multiple ways
As an assistant for three seasons with the Spurs, Mike Brown (now the Sacramento Kings head coach) saw how Popovich cares deeply off the court.
"I will never forget this: We brought a strength coach in as an intern, wasn’t getting paid much money at all. And his internship was up. He had gotten a new job as a youth counselor in Colorado. He didn’t have the money to move there, and unbeknownst to anybody, we found out later that Pop bought him a brand new [Nissan] Pathfinder just because he knew that the young man didn’t have true means to get to his destination and start his new life as a youth minister.
"Another story is I was going through a separation at the time … my boys were living in Colorado with their mom, I was [in San Antonio]. I will never forget, they were out here for about a week and my sister was about to take them back because we were about to go on the road. So when I dropped them off at the airport, the [team] plane wasn’t far [away]. They [the boys] were really crying at the gate because they didn’t want to go. I was about to be late. I was torn.
"I called Pop [and said,] ‘I am going to be there, I am at the airport, my kids are having a tough time getting on the plane to go back. But just give me a few more minutes.’ And he goes, ‘Mikey, you should just stay here.’ I said: ‘No, no, no, Pop.’ Because we were going to Chicago and it was my scout and I need to go. [I told Pop,] ‘The kids will be all right.’
“He said, ‘If you show up to this plane, you’re fired.’ I said, ‘Pop, come on, man! Listen, I’m packed and ready. I’ll be there in [a little bit].’ He said, ‘Remember, if I see you on this plane, you’re fired.’ Click. He hangs up on me. So I stayed back with the kids for an extra three days. So literally just two stories off the top of my head of many that shows his true character.” – Kendra Andrews
Pop and penguins
Sacramento Kings guard DeMar DeRozan played three seasons in San Antonio, but he won’t forget one film session when he and the Spurs got a life lesson Nat Geo-style.
"I remember Pop made us watch a penguin National Geographic movie. It was very interesting. It was basically learning about teamwork. How to come together as one and go after a common goal, whatever that goal was. I thought it was going to be a day where we watch film. But we watched a full penguin movie – and it was the most interesting s—.
“How they migrate. How the males watch the eggs while the female goes out for X amount of months to go collect food. How they walk 60 miles to the water and 60 miles back while the males watch – it was the most craziest s—. But everybody basically playing their role. But to look at it from the perspective of penguins, that’s some Pop s—.” – Jamal Collier
‘He cared enough to tell me the truth’
Monty Williams played two-plus seasons for the Spurs from 1996 to 1998. He got his start in coaching as an intern with the Spurs during the 2004-05 championship season and spent two seasons in the front office as vice president of basketball operations from 2016 to 2018. After Williams’ wife, Ingrid, died in a car accident while Williams was an assistant in Oklahoma City in 2016, Popovich wanted to visit him.
"I always thought that he was misunderstood. Because he could stand up for a political issue. Or if you watch the in-game interviews, you could be like, ‘Man, that guy is pretty rough.’ The way he cared for me, during a tough time in my life, told me everything I needed to know about him. When I was in OKC, he was hurt because I wouldn’t let him fly up. I knew he had a lot on his plate. He’s like, ‘Mon, I’m getting on the plane to come.’ And I said, ‘Pop. I’m good. I just got to figure this out.’ He just kept telling me, ‘Mon, you got to let people help you.’
"And it impacted me because I’d been around him since the mid-'90s. And he had been studying me. He knew that I was independent to a fault. And he knew that the one person I trusted was gone. So in his mind, he kept trying to get that across to me. And I would get off [and] look at my phone like, ‘Why does he keep saying that?’ He cared enough to tell me the truth. And that’s the thing that has stuck out about our relationship.
“Outside of Coach Hickman, who was my high school coach, and Coach Westbrook, who was my football coach, who invited me to church, there’s nobody in my life more important than Pop, athletically and personally just because of the care he had for me and my family. And those words that he said to me on a tough, tough day in my life.” – Brian Windhorst
‘I learned more from him than he learned from me’
A legendary innovator with his unique offensive system, Don Nelson coached 31 seasons, is one of the top-10 coaches of all time, helped create the point-forward trend and held the career wins record until Popovich passed him.
"He’s just the greatest coach to ever lace them up. When I hired him as an assistant coach [in Golden State in 1992], I figured he could learn something from me. But I learned more from him than he learned from me, that’s for sure.
"When I hired him, I met him for the first time when he flew in to get interviewed. And I hired him the same day, I think. … I had watched him work before games and I just thought that that’s a guy that I should have. He’s everything and much more than I ever thought I was gonna get.
“The first thing he did when he got to Golden State, he set up a summer league for young kids to play in and stay off the streets. They would play from 10 o’clock at night until 2 in the morning. And he got [an] award for that. He was there every night with the kids. It was in Oakland. There were hundreds of kids involved in the program. It was wonderful. He really did a great job keeping the kids off the streets and out of trouble.” – Baxter Holmes
A sense of humor is mandatory in San Antonio
Mike Budenholzer was a Spurs assistant for 17 seasons, winning four titles in San Antonio before landing his first head-coaching job with the Atlanta Hawks in 2013-14. He won a championship as coach of the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021.
"I will say that when he was evaluating players or we were evaluating players, if they don’t have a sense of humor, they probably were not going to last in San Antonio. And if they couldn’t laugh and especially laugh at yourself, it was a huge deal to have a sense of humor. He likes to be around people that have a good sense of humor that were smart and self-deprecating.
“If they can’t laugh at themselves and don’t have that self-deprecation that he has, Tim [Duncan] and Manu and everybody has, it’s kind of, red flags go up. I will just tell you it’s real. It’s a real checkmark that you got to pass.” – Youngmisuk
Pop’s ‘master class’ at the Olympics
Steve Kerr and Pop go way back, with the former Spurs guard winning two championships with San Antonio (1999 and 2003). Kerr, the current Golden State Warriors coach, was also on Popovich’s USA Olympic coaching staff that won gold in the 2020 Games in Tokyo.
"He is a private guy. A lot of the stuff, a lot of the stories I don’t know if he would want public. He values his privacy and the privacy of the people around him. I can tell you that he snuck some wine into the Tokyo Hilton, and I hope they don’t extradite him and punish him retroactively.
“The coaches’ meetings that we had in Tokyo were just phenomenal. Master class in leadership, camaraderie and chemistry and just beautiful to be a part of. To watch him work behind the scenes as a fellow coach was amazing to me. I played for him for four years, but it was different to be on his staff.” – Andrews
‘Remember the brand Pelle Pelle?’
Chad Forcier spent nine seasons with the Spurs as an assistant coach from 2007 to 2016. He won a title with the Spurs in 2013-14.
"One that shines the light on the human element, in terms of his awareness, his compassion for human beings and just always being so quick to recognize that need to try to do what he could to help somebody in a moment – we had dinner at Ristorante Sotto Sotto in Toronto one night a long time ago. It’s an insanely cold night in Toronto. It’s probably 5 degrees out. Pop had this leather jacket. Remember the brand Pelle Pelle? He had this designer brand-name jacket. And he throws it on and we start taking our walk back to the Four Seasons. We see this homeless guy. There’s six or seven of us walking, and it’s gotta be the coldest place in the NBA on this night of any city.
“Pop sees him, maybe takes a stride past him and notices him against a doorway, stops, reaches into his pocket. I don’t know how much cash he had, but he wadded up a wad of bills, stuffed them into his coat pocket, takes his leather jacket off and lays it over the homeless guy to give him a layer of warmth. The guy never wakes up; he’s asleep. We walk four or five blocks and Pop is in his button-down dress shirt. And off we go.” – Holmes
‘There’s a Popovich mafia’
Erik Spoelstra, Miami Heat coach, will forever be linked with Popovich by two consecutive NBA Finals matchups between the Heat and Spurs, two of the NBA’s best-run franchises, in 2013 and 2014. Spoelstra won his second championship as head coach in a seven-game series victory against San Antonio in 2013. Spoelstra also worked with Pop with USA Basketball as head coach of the 2021 Select Team that trained with and against the 2020 U.S. Olympic team.
"We’re extremely grateful to have that opportunity on the biggest stage with two organizations and with the Spurs. … But my most treasured memory would be this past summer, just even working with him for those two and a half weeks with [the Team] USA program. We can talk for days about his Hall of Fame basketball credentials, but I just love him as a human being and how he makes you feel like you matter. And that’s everybody in the room. That is a gift that’s a skill, his human management ability, that is the best I’ve ever seen.
“You know what I did joke about it? Because I’ve never been involved really in the USA program. That’s why I was so humbled and excited just about the opportunity to be a part of it. Once we had the dinners and everything, I finally mentioned to Pop, ‘I felt like I’ve been part of the [Pat] Riley mafia for all these years and there’s a Popovich mafia, and then there’s a [Jerry] Colangelo mafia. So we have all the different families, and I am just extremely grateful that you’ve allowed me to be part of it.’” – Windhorst
Win or lose, ‘life’s going to go on’
Taylor Jenkins started his NBA career as an intern in the Spurs basketball operations department in 2007 and eventually coached the Spurs D-League team in Austin before joining Budenholzer’s staff in Atlanta and Milwaukee. He is the Memphis Grizzlies coach.
"Probably my fondest memory of Pop was 2011, it was at the end of their season. I was with the Austin Toros [as an assistant coach] at the time. They [the Spurs] were the 1-seed, and it just so happened they played the Memphis Grizzlies, who were the 8-seed. A grind-it-out series, the Grizzlies got the best of the Spurs, and it was obviously a very tough defeat. Despite such a tough ending to the season, I remember getting a phone call from someone in the front office that said, ‘Hey, Pop would like to invite you over to his house with all the coaches and all the players for an end-of-season party.’
"All the players and their families and their kids were there. He invited the entire D-League staff, and we just had a great meal, knowing that life’s going to go on, life’s going to be just fine. Let’s celebrate still what was a great season, not just go out and have these months ahead of us of going ‘what if.’
"He was showing off his wine cellar. I remember going into the kitchen and he had his favorite chef from his favorite restaurant in San Francisco, who he was buddies with, fly to San Antonio to make the entire meal for everybody. I’m sitting there as a fly on the wall, just as I was in the gym, amazed at the camaraderie, the family atmosphere, the togetherness. Obviously, everyone was stinging in the back of their mind.
“You just see how Pop leads in so many different ways, bringing people together. To see that moment, when a championship was probably within their reach and ran into a tough matchup with the Grizzlies, he still said, ‘Hey, we still have a lot to enjoy. Nothing better than enjoying each other.’ It was pretty special. He had a huge smile on his face the entire day, socializing in the kitchen and on the patio, taking people to his wine cellar, kids playing around by the pool. Then for him to embrace me and the entire D-League staff was really special, knowing that everyone was a part of this journey.” – Tim MacMahon
Just 'Kidd’ing, Pop
In the summer of 2003, Jason Kidd was the top free agent and Popovich and the Spurs put on a full-court press for Kidd. On his lone free-agent visit, Kidd originally committed to the Spurs, only to change his mind and re-sign with the New Jersey Nets. Kidd is the Dallas Mavericks’ coach.
"If I recall, I woke up, there was a chef in the suite cooking breakfast. … I was amazed. It was just a great [visit] … sitting with him and Duncan and then going to the practice facility, the presentation was by far very impressive.
"Pop, they did an incredible job of bringing me down in San Antonio and telling me how I was going to fit in with Duncan and Parker. And I committed to them and left. And when I got back to Jersey, things changed. I don’t know if he took it well. But incredible, incredible human being, incredible coach. I still think about if I would’ve committed to San Antonio, what it could have been.
“[Pop] just told the truth. Just said, ‘We just need your talent. We want you to be a part of this to help us win championships.’ He doesn’t beat around the bush. He’s very honest, straight, told me what he expected. … I was on board. I thought I was really going to San Antonio. I was all excited, but things changed. Unfortunately.” – Youngmisuk
Double dinners, double the waistline
Dennis Lindsey was the Spurs’ vice president and assistant general manager from 2007 to 2012 before Utah hired him as GM. He is an adviser to the Jazz now.
"The dinners are famous. The double dinners, those of us who have tried to opt out of the dinners because we were getting too fat. What always impressed me was the time that Pop spent in searching out restaurants, menus, wine menus … there’s so many stories. There’s Brett Brown trying to skip out at dinner. There’s Steve Kerr and Danny Ferry trying to figure out what restaurant Pop would go to, as players, so they could get a free meal. We were in the playoffs against the Clippers, and Danny and I were getting too portly around the waist, so we decided that we were going to skip a course or two. You know, there’s 20 guys in there [at the table]. Pop had researched the restaurant. Everybody tried to beat him to the restaurant, and he’d always be the first one there. Danny and I are skipping these courses, and Pop belts out, ‘Hey, Ferry, Lindsey! Don’t think I don’t know that you’re trying to skip some courses! Get your ass eating!’
“But the greatest gift of the San Antonio program is there’s a lot of us that would be in basketball – maybe coaching high school or small college basketball – but there’d be a lot of us that wouldn’t be in the positions that we’ve attained without a San Antonio stamp of approval.” – MacMahon
‘Damn sure going to enjoy it’
Dejounte Murray was drafted in the first round in 2016 by San Antonio. He was selected to his first All-Star Game in 2022 with the Spurs.
"Pop doesn’t like praise. He doesn’t like any of that. It’s kind of a good thing. But you also want to remind him of his success because it’s rare. Because he’s a guy that just wants to focus on winning and every day. He never brings up anything to praise himself.
“We don’t talk about it, but we damn sure are going to enjoy it when we do get [the record] for him because he’s a great man and he deserves it. He pushes all his players, whether you’re the first guy, last guy, G League player, 10-day contract, he embraces you from day one. He deserves everything. We don’t talk about it, but I look forward to getting that for him because it’s going to be important and good for him.” – Windhorst
‘He’s way more of a positive than negative guy’
After a successful college career as the men’s basketball coach at Seton Hall, P.J. Carlesimo was a head coach in the NBA for nine seasons. He also spent five seasons on Popovich’s staff as an assistant and is currently an analyst for the NBA on ESPN.
"We won three championships in the five years that I was there. As good of a coach [as] he is, to me, it’s more his ability to relate with his players both on and off the court. And he spends way more time off the court in terms of his relationships with his players than I think most coaches, it’s his ability to connect with people and the fact that he genuinely cares about them, and their family and them as individuals – that comes across, and players know that. I think that also enhances his ability to be demanding at times – because he is demanding. But he’s way more of a positive guy than a negative guy. Guys want to play for him because they know he cares about them.
“So there’s a constant dialogue going on with people who are part of the program or have been part of the program over the years. And food is part of that, honestly. And he’ll always say if you got people with you, just bring them [to dinner]. He’s got a rule – if he’s ever in a restaurant and a player is in a restaurant or an assistant coach in the restaurant, he picks the tab up. And it’s not a San Antonio credit card that he’s putting down; it’s a personal credit card.” – Holmes
Different eras and different generations
Point guard Antonio Daniels played four seasons with the Spurs and won a title in 1999.
“I’ll tell you why I think he’s the greatest coach in the history of the sport. Because he has the ability to adjust in different eras, different generations and different decades. Other folks can’t do that. No disrespect to any other coach out there. But there are certain coaches who were successful coaching one particular style. If that style and the way the roster is constructed doesn’t fit with that particular coaching style, then it doesn’t work. Pop has the ability to use and change his offensive style according to his personnel. … His ability to adjust on the fly as a coach is incredible.” – Andrew Lopez
‘Here’s the next game. Are we prepared?’
Joe Prunty started his NBA career as an assistant video coordinator for the Spurs in 1996. He was with the Spurs in various positions, including assistant coach, until 2005 and won three titles in San Antonio.
"He wants to win that next game, and that’s one of the things he taught me: ‘OK, here’s the next game. Are we prepared for it? How do we do it? Let’s go do it.’ And it’s not about me. It’s about what we can accomplish.
“He’s competitive. And he has been since even before I ever met him but knowing those stories about him at the academy or just how he’s built and being in meetings and strategizing and not leaving any stone unturned. He brings the best out of people in terms of, ‘Look, this is what we need from you.’ And he’s demanding. He wants you to be great, and so that’s why the players that have gone through the program and the success that they’ve had, not only as players and moving on to different teams if they haven’t stayed, but also in becoming coaches and general managers – the coaches that have been with him and have moved on – he gives you that confidence because he wants you to participate.” – McMenamin
By Ohm Youngmisuk | ESPN, via ESPN