SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio Spurs' Gregg Popovich is entering his 27th season as the head coach and one of his former players is questioning why he's still hard at work.
In an interview with Insider, team legend Tony Parker says he just doesn't understand why Popovich is still the Spurs coach and admits he tries to encourage him to put the clipboard down for good and enjoy life.
"I always joke with him: The hell are you doing? You should travel the world. Enjoy it," Parker said. "Especially him: He loves the world, he loves traveling. And because of that, I'm very surprised that he's still doing what he's doing."
Popovich has accomplished everything there is possible on the NBA stage. He is a 5-time NBA champion, a 3-time NBA Coach of the Year Award winner, and became the NBA's all-time winningest coach last season.
"I don't know the purpose of it, you know what I mean? To be with all those young guys but I'm like, I guess he's super passionate," Parker said.
Popovich knows the team isn't winning a title any time soon.
He quipped on Media Day that no one should put money on the Spurs to win the title and says this upcoming season will have a heavy focus on player development.
"Nobody here should go to Vegas with the thought of betting on us to win the championship," Popovich said.
Indeed it will be a lean season and the franchise knows it.
Trading All-Star Dejounte Murray for draft picks, Derrick White, and letting Lonnie Walker IV exit the team all but signaled it was time for the franchise to hit the reset button.
Need further proof? Team General Manager, Brian Wright, all but announced the team is in a rebuild when discussing the Murray trade with SiriusXM NBA Radio.
"It just gives us different avenues to continue to build our team," Wright said. "You have to try to do what's best for your organization at the time but we think in this one what it allowed us to do was open up different pathways to build."
The 73-year-old head coach enjoys teaching the next generation of Spurs and witnessing their development despite accomplishing all one can as an NBA head coach.
Ultimately, he will exit basketball when he is ready and on his terms.
Even if Parker is urging him to walk away.
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