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Fox Sports' Sharpe ranks Phil Jackson over Spurs' Popovich among the greatest coaches

"I can't put him ahead of Phil," Sharpe said.

SAN ANTONIO — Head coach Gregg Popovich now stands alone as the winningest coach in NBA history with 1,336 wins passing his mentor, Don Nelson.

It's a testament to his greatness and certainly marks him the greatest coach in NBA history.

But don't tell that to Fox Sports' Shannon Sharpe who believes Phil Jackson should be ranked ahead of the Spurs long-time head coach.

Before Popovich's historic night, Sharpe was asked who is the greatest NBA coach of All-Time on Fox Sports' "Undisputed." 

He was quick to opine that Jackson is the better coach.

"I can't put Pop in front of Phil Jackson. I just can't,” said Sharpe. "Phil has a .700 win percentage, 11 championships with two defeats and he's the king of the three-peat. Three times he three-peated."

RELATED: The NBA, San Antonio community reacts to Spurs' Popovich's coaching milestone

Sharpe did credit Popovich for what he's done in the NBA, and creating head coaching jobs for many, but repeated it is Popovich's lack of defending a title is why he cannot rank him ahead of Jackson.

"Coach Pop's teams never won back-to-back championships," Sharpe said. "I can't put him ahead of Phil."

Credit: NBAE via Getty Images
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - April 30: Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs before facing off against the Los Angeles Clippers for Game Six of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the NBA Playoffs on April 30, 2015 at Barclays Center in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2015 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)

Despite Popovich not winning back-to-back titles, he's done much more than Jackson ever did.

Popovich remained with one team for his entire career and is a three-time NBA Coach of the Year in 2003, 2012 and 2014. 

He currently stands as the longest-tenured active coach in all four U.S. major sports leagues. Internationally, Popovich served as head coach of the USA Basketball Senior Men’s National Team from 2017- 20 and led Team USA to a gold medal at the 2020 Olympics.

RELATED: Gregg Popovich breaks record for most regular season wins by a coach in NBA history

He has led the Spurs since 1996 and they made the playoffs each year from 1998 to 2019. That's 22 straight playoff seasons which is an NBA record.

This season, he became the first head coach in NBA history to lead the same team for 2,000 or more games.

The list goes on and on, which shows Popovich has done more as an NBA coach than Jackson ever did in what many consider a small market like San Antonio.

What do you have to say about Sharpe's opinion, Spurs fans? Let us know on Twitter at @KENS5 and at @JeffGSpursKENS5.

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