Longtime San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich will soon etch his name as the most winningest coach in NBA history after he tied the legendary Don Nelson for the most wins in NBA history from a head coach with the Spurs 117-110 victory over the Lakers Monday.
With the win over Los Angeles, the future Hall of Famer received his 1,335th career win, which ties Nelson for the most in league history. The victory also snapped a four-game losing streak that the Spurs were suffering through.
Although both coaches are natural winners, the main thing that separates Nelson and Popovich is that Pop has won multiple titles as a coach and did it all on one team. Nelson captained the ship for four different franchises; the Bucks, Mavericks, Knicks and had two stints with Warriors. Nelson never won any championships as a coach. In fact, Nelson never brought any franchise to the finals during his 30 plus years as a head coach.
Unlike Nelson, Pop saw success immediately as the head coach in San Antonio after he fired Bob Hill when he was the Spurs GM during the 1996 season and then placed himself in the same role. The Spurs went on to draft Tim Duncan out of Wake Forest just a year later and went on to win five Larry O'Brien Trophies together. Pop also helped develop other key players during that run, including Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.
San Antonio will have an opportunity to get Pop his 1,336 win on Wednesday night, March 9th against the Toronto Raptors. Not that this record would matter much to someone with an already legendary career, but definitely a nice cherry to add to an already flawless career.
Follow Jasper Jones on Twitter: @jonesj2342
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