A decade ago, when a number of NBA coaches praised Gregg Popovich for the desire to welcome new arrivals in his fraternity, Frank Vogel called the San Antonio coach the Spurs of the League “godfather. “”
As it remains true in 2025. The fingerprints of Popovich are literally everywhere in the NBA.
Advertisement
At the time, when Brad Stevens accepted the Boston Celtic coach position, Popovich called her, offered some advice and the two developed a close relationship forged by a common passion for coaching.
Nowadays, the bonds of fraternity with Popovich are even more family -friendly. Most coaches knew him well before sniffing a coaching concert. And if they didn't do it, they knew someone who did it. In fact, we can trace each of the current head coaches in the Popovich league in three degrees of separation or less.
(I will give you a moment to carry out the exercise in your head before putting it on paper.)
Popovich has resigned as a head coach of the Spurs Friday to accept a position as president of the team. He underwent a stroke in early November and had been on indefinite leave since. Mitch Johnson, who has spent the last decade in the San Antonio system, served as an interim replacement before being Appointed permanent head coach on Friday.
Advertisement
Five other head coaches – Will Hardy, Steve Kerr, Doc Rivers, Quin Snyder and Ime Udoka – played directly for and / or trained under Popovich. Mike Brown, Mike Budenholzer and Taylor Jenkins, who were all dismissed from their concerts this season, also trained in the Popovich system within the spurs organization.
Two others, Erik Spoelstra and Jamahl Mosley, served as Assistants of Popovich to a certain extent during his four -year term at the USA Basketball HELM. So equalize a third of the league to break out in a degree of separation.
14 other coaches – Kenny Atkinson, JB Bickerstaff, Chauncey Billups, Rick Carlisle, Doug Christie, Willie Green, Tuimas Iisalo, Brian Keefe, Charles Lee, Tyronn Lue, Joe Mazzulla, Darko Rajaković, Jj Redick and Tom Thibodeau – training.
When Billy Donovan and Jason Kidd became head coaches, everyone appointed a disciple of Popovich to their staff. Mark Daigneault also shared Oklahoma City Thunder staff with Donovan and Monty Williams.
Advertisement
This leaves four coaches – David Adelman, Jordi Fernandez, Chris Finch and Nick Nurse – who required a third degree of separation. The four coaches helped coaches who helped Popovich, if that makes sense. A coaching tree is in full bloom, its branches reaching all the corners of the NBA (except the Phoenix Suns, and how much do you want to bet that we can retrace the line of their next pop coach?).
The nurse was the most difficult link. Nevertheless, his first work as a professional coach on this side of the pond came with the Oklahoma storm now disappeared from the United States basketball league. This team's coach: Bryan Gates, a longtime assistant from Williams, who both played and trained for pop.
The most loose connections? Bickerstaff and Carlisle. Bickerstaff played two university seasons at Oregon State, where Chad Forcier was a assistant. Force later became a Popovich assistant. Likewise, Carlisle was assistant to PJ Carlesimo Before Carlesimo was a Popovich assistant.
Advertisement
True to form, Bickerstaff and Carlisle have narrower links with Popovich than these degrees of separation suggest. Bickerstaff attended the Popovich basketball camp when he was a childBecause his father, Bernie – a longtime coach of the NBA who helped two Popovich disciples – was friends with the legend of San Antonio.
Likewise, when Carlisle was transferred for the first time for a coaching concert of the NBA in 2000, Popovich invited her to spend several days at a training camp with the Spurs, and another coach mentoring was forged.
“He didn't need me to come there,” said Carlisle, via field files. “He did it because he is a donor. He understood at that time that it was something that would raise me – and this is the case. The coaches of this league who knew him during all these years really admire him in a very, very special way.”
Because Popovich has influenced each of their styles, whether they know it or not. A real godfather.
