San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich becomes third coach in NBA history to reach 1,300 wins

Benyam Kidane

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich becomes third coach in NBA history to reach 1,300 wins image

Gregg Popovich became the third coach in NBA history to reach 1,300 regular-season wins as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Chicago Bulls 120-104.

Popovich is the fastest coach to reach 1,300 wins and needs just 35 wins to tie Don Nelson for the most-ever wins (1335). Lenny Wilkens is second on the all-time list with 1,332 wins.

 The 72-year-old already holds the record for most total wins including playoffs, with 284 post-season victories to his name as well as the record for most road wins with 552.

“Reaching this milestone is a testament to the drive, passion and intellect that define Gregg Popovich,” Spurs CEO RC Buford told NBA.com. “Both his success and longevity are remarkable.”

The three-time NBA Coach of the Year has spent his entire head-coaching career with the Spurs and remains the only coach in NBA history to spend 25+ years with the same franchise.

In January, he reached 1,900 games, making him just the ninth coach in NBA history to reach that mark, joining Wilkens, Nelson, Bill Fitch, Jerry Sloan, Larry Brown, George Karl, Dick Motta and Pat Riley.


With the win over the Bulls, the Spurs move to 23-20 on the season, sitting seventh in the Western Conference as they look to return to the playoffs after falling short last season, bringing their streak of 22-straight postseason appearances to an end. 

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Benyam Kidane

Benyam Kidane Photo

Benyam Kidane is a senior NBA editor and has been covering the league for The Sporting News since 2016. In his spare time you can find him watching Allen Iverson highlights on repeat.