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The End of an Era: Greg Popovich Retires

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Greg Popovich has retired as head coach of the San Antonio Spurs at age 76, though he continues as President of Basketball Operations after a legendary NBA coaching career.

• Pop attended the US Air Force Academy as a guard and team captain
• He tried out for the 1972 Olympic team and played for the Armed Forces All-Star Team
• Joined the Spurs in 1988 as an assistant coach under Larry Brown
• Became head coach in 1996 while also serving as GM and VP of Basketball Operations
• Coached legendary players including Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Kawhi Leonard
• Developed a significant coaching tree including Steve Kerr, Becky Hammon, and Ime Udoka
• Won multiple NBA Championships and developed both star players and role players
• Recently worked with developing Victor Wembanyama and other young Spurs talent

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Speaker 1:

What's up everybody? It's your favorite show's favorite show. Get a Bucket. I'm your host, trey, and as usual, I hope you're all having a wonderful, wonderful day.

Speaker 1:

Today we're going to talk about Greg Popovich, a legendary coach. He retired. But before we do that, please make sure to hit that like and subscribe button, comment, tell anyone who's anyone about the show, try and get the ratings up a little bit. You know, just a little bit. But I said, ladies and gentlemen, we're going to talk about greg popovich and him retiring legendary head coach. Ladies and gentlemen, one of a kind I don't know if we're gonna get another one like him and, and keep in mind, I'm a laker fan like y'all. See the jerk. Well, the shirt with the jersey, right, kobe, my guy. But I had to throw on a little white and black just because that is the spurs colors. Show a little love and appreciation to the Spurs because they did give us some wonderful back right. But, ladies and gentlemen, real quick. Greg Popovich actually just wanted to give him some praise. Right, he was with the Spurs for quite a while, but before the Spurs he actually did have a college career. I don't know if you knew that or not. Yep, that's right, greg Popovich was out there getting the bucket, ladies and gentlemen.

Speaker 1:

Now, he attended the US Air Force Academy. He was a guard and he was the team captain. So I'm going to say this right now that does sound like it bodes well for a head coach. And he did play post-college. After graduation he did play for the Armed Forces All-Star Team competing internationally. He did actually try out for Team USA during the 1972 Olympics. Didn't make it. So you know, it was close Too bad. It's St Horseshoes, but I thought that was kind of interesting to know because I don't know how many coaches out there can say they tried out for an Olympic USA team. Like basketball, I don't know about that one. But again, that's Greg Popovich out there getting the bucket. I don't know if y'all knew that, but the man, the myth, the legend.

Speaker 1:

It starts 1988. He was an assistant coach under Larry Brown as head coach, right. And then he becomes general manager and vice president of basketball operations 1994 to 2002. At that time, like, wait, a second, hold on, because won't he head coach? Oh no, he became head coach as well in 1996. Now he just retired from head coach. But, ladies and gentlemen, let's not get this twisted too. Okay, he is still president of basketball operations.

Speaker 1:

So it's not like we got rid of Coach Pop. Well, we got rid of Coach Pop. We didn't got rid of coach pop, we didn't get rid of pop. You know I'm saying so at age 76. He's saying he wants to only have one job, not two, and I can't be but so mad at that because, again, the man has worked with a lot of players that we've seen. We got david robinson, we got Tim Duncan, we got Tony Parker, we got Montage Noble, we got Kawhi Leonard. That's a lot of players right there, ladies and gentlemen, that he has worked with. And when I say worked with too, ladies and gentlemen, it's not like they ever had no success.

Speaker 1:

We got some MVPs, finals MVPs, championships, obviously because I say finals, mvps, it's a lot of things that greg popovich has done and just a couple notable players you've seen, like we I mentioned tim duncan, monitor nobly, tony parker, kawaii leonard, david robinson. We got other players like a bruce bowen, who people don't really talk about as much. Good player, dejonte murray, good player, undercoach pop, patty mills. A patty mills is as an olympic player, patty mills is one of them. Ones, bro, coach pop, lamarcus aldridge yeah, he was on the blazers for a little second, but a lot of his career was spent with the spurs a decent amount. So we got to throw him up there. And then we got to mention players like danny green as well too. You remember danny green in the finals when he was snapping looked like he went finals MVP. Before that he was in the G League. Shout out Coach Pop. So again we have some very notable players that Coach Pop has actually worked with in his tenure. I mean, we got some other players that he's worked with too right, like Victor Wimbenyama come on now, man, like we know him already. But how about players like Stephon Cassell, jeremy Sokane, like these young players he's helped raise? So I'm really looking forward to see how these guys pan out, because again they've had the tutelage of Greg Popovich and again that's just as a coach these players can say they've been coached by Greg Popovich.

Speaker 1:

It is a little bit different. Case in point Brad Stevens right, he was the head coach for the Celtics and he GM or president of basketball operations. He's something like that. I think he is head of operations over there. Celtics have been doing quite well, but it is a difference being coached by Brad Stevens versus he just running the shop. So it is going to be a little different. Coach Pop can still talk to you, but it's going to be your coach that's really cultivating your development.

Speaker 1:

Speaking of coaches too, by the way, ladies and gentlemen, coach Pop, he has had a wonderful pedigree of coaches. Right, we got Steve Kerr, three-time champion, as a head coach. We got Becky Hammond. That's the first woman assistant NBA head coach or NBA coach, first woman assistant NBA head coach or NBA coach. That's a record I etched in the history books, right there. How about Emei Udoka as a player and a coach? Pops Toodle is right there, and keep in mind Emei out there snapping with the Rockets. With the right players and the right amount of time, the Rockets could pan out, and we didn't already see what Becky Hammond did with the Aces.

Speaker 1:

So, again, coach Pop is going to be talked about for a while, just because of who he's coached, who he's mentored and, of course, if you watched him as a coach, you've got to talk about him Because, again, ladies and gentlemen, he gave my Lakers fits so many times, bro. It was ridiculous to the point that it actually made me think what's a wish list of players that I would have wanted to see Coach Pop be with. Like, have him, coach. Ladies and gentlemen, it's an interesting list, right?

Speaker 1:

I'm gonna talk about, well, kawaii leonard, and I understand you know he was already on the list, right, like he was already up there. Keep in mind, he did leave. So, if he stayed, that legacy with pop and kawaii, what happens if? If the spurs win two more titles, or one more title, we gotta talk about them a little bit differently too. If kawaii has four rings, oh, you know for a fact people are going to talk about, oh, kawhi's better than Braun. So again, that legacy continued. I would have loved to see it. It would have been a nice wish list.

Speaker 1:

Speaking of Braun, let's talk about Braun real quick. What about Braun and Coach Pop? That would be a decent combo, because, again, braun is ready for having a strong iq, right, and coach pop? Hey, we know pop and what he do. So if you had both of those two paired with one another, I do wonder what that would look like. Ladies and gentlemen, that would be an interesting pairing. Maybe he gets past the Warriors, whether we talk about Kevin Durant or not, because again, you got Greg Popovich and people had Kawhi there too, so he would have had Kawhi. Just saying, and people talk about how Kawhi would have gotten past the Warriors and da-da-da-da-da, right, right.

Speaker 1:

Speaking of Kevin Durant, how about Kevin Durant? He's on my wish list as well. Now, kevin Durant said he wanted to play the right way, and doesn't Coach Pop play the right way? Coach the right way Like that. I would have loved to see that pairing. Kevin Durant is a scorer, but he's a basketball player first, and you mean to tell me Coach Pop wouldn't have been able to work with that? He could have played with anybody, any team that Coach Pop had, and he could have played with anybody, any team that Coach Pop had, and I think they would have been viewed as contenders. But again, that is a wish list, because imagine that. Imagine the beautiful poetry of basketball that we missed. But it's all right. We didn't see him go to the Warriors. It was cool. I guess we got two rings. It's cool. It's not standing.

Speaker 1:

Kobe DeMamba I would have loved to see Kobe coached by Greg Popovich, weirdly enough, in a Spurs uniform. Now, keep in mind I'm not saying I wanted Kobe to leave my Lakers. I'm saying it would have been nice to see Kobe and Pop in an NBA game, coached right, not in the All-Star game, nothing like that. Because I think Kobe's drive and Coach Pop's drive, their mindset, like this, like they was going to be, like this, ladies and gentlemen, they was going to be here aligned, start to finish. I don't know if they would have had the same issues that Phil Jackson and Kobe would have had, same issues that Phil Jackson and Kobe would have had Maybe. So who knows? But I think there might have been a little bit of difference between Poppin and Phil in that regard. Phil actually was able to coach stars too. So I'm not saying that Phil couldn't control players. I'm saying I think, with the system in place, kobe would have been all right. It might not have shuffled around as much too, because, again, his gripe was work ethics. I don't think we had work ethics issues for the Spurs, but you know, again, would have been an interesting pair. Glad he stayed with my boys, though.

Speaker 1:

But my final one, this one I got to point out it had to be noted, james Harden. Because, again to be noted, james Harden, because, again, ladies and gentlemen, james Harden did have an offensive tenure where I'm like, hey, yo buddy snapping, imagine if he played defense. I don't think we would have had to imagine if he was on the Spurs. So imagine now the Spurs having a player like Kawhi and LaMarcus Aldridge. We've already seen Kawhi and James Harden playing and doing well versus a team like the Nuggets and Nicola Yoke Surprising people, in fact. What if we got that earlier? Buddy in his prime, two MVP candidates, coach Pop as the coach? That would have been crazy. They might have actually beat the Warriors in with kevin durant and steph curry. That could have been a wonderful duo battle to witness again.

Speaker 1:

Ladies and gentlemen, we talking about my wish list here got a little upset because it didn't happen, but it is what it is, though. Speaking of another thing that got me a little upset, we got to go back right to the playing days, not this one, this one, his high school days or his college days. Ladies and gentlemen, did you know that Greg Popovich and Coach K I'm wearing Duke shorts right now? I ain't going to Do. I need to get up and show y'all. Let me see I can probably do it a little bit Flat out right there. I mean, coach K, I ain't working, I ain't playing it, it just happened, but they played around the same time they were in college at the same time, they both played basketball. They never played against one another, but imagine if that happened.

Speaker 1:

My wish list would have been for them two to match up both guards. Oh man, that would have been lovely to see, because then they both became hall of fame head coaches. Both were part of the olympic squad for coaching. Come on now storyline write itself. And then, for the moment when coach k was possibly going to lead duke and go to my lakers, he will leave my boys and go to my Lakers, he's going to lead my boys and go to my boys that narrative of Lakers versus Spurs it would have continued. So again, ladies and gentlemen, that's my wish list.

Speaker 1:

Again, I would have loved to see Coach K battle off against Greg Popovich in college, but the man did do well. And again, ladies and gentlemen, can't fret, because it's not like he ain't going to win a championship anytime soon. This man, victor Wimiyama, out here, is about to be doing disgusting numbers Like this 98, 47 and 19. Maybe it's possible, like maybe it's possible. But, Coach Pop, though, you're going to be credited for a little bit of Victor Wimiyama success and you got to respect Coach Popp End of day, so it will be sad to see him as a head coach. It is the end of a tenure.

Speaker 1:

I wore this jacket just because he got so much France connections, and I did get this from France, and I made sure to have the Kobe shirt on just to show a little love, because I'm a Kobe fan. And we battled y'all so daggone much. So again, ladies and gentlemen, coach Pop, legendary coach, retires. We salute you, sir, thank you for your time and I hope you enjoy only having one job now. But, ladies and gentlemen, that does conclude the end of the episode, though, so we greatly appreciate your time. Thank you all for listening. Please make sure to like subscribe, comment, tell anyone who's anyone about the show. My name is Trey. I'm the host of Get a Bucket. Hope you all are having a good one. Oh, and before I go, I guess, make sure to tell me anything that you liked about Greg Popovich as well too. Got to make sure to hear your fun facts. I know I got stories for days, but I'm going to leave it off on that note. Hope you all have a good one, take care.