With five championship rings and now the most victories of any head coach in NBA history, Gregg Popovich has accomplished just about all that there is to accomplish in the league. The person who ultimately replaces him though could end up being a real stunner.
NBA writer Marc Stein reported on Substack this week that Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder is emerging as a possible candidate to succeed Popovich.
“More and more, I hear Snyder’s name as a potential Pop successor that the Spurs would naturally relish,” Stein wrote.
At age 73, Popovich is nearing retirement after having coached San Antonio for the last 26 seasons. As for Snyder, he has coached the Jazz for the past eight seasons but has yet to advance past the second round of the playoffs. Snyder also previously coached the Austin Toros, the Spurs’ G League affiliate, from 2007 to 2010.
The 55-year-old Snyder did get a contract extension with Utah in 2019 that runs through at least 2023. But if he leaves to take the Spurs job, that would be even more surprising than this rumored candidate succeeding Popovich.
Photo: Feb 8, 2020; Sacramento, California, USA; San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich on the sideline against the Sacramento Kings during the first quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
