The San Antonio Spurs officially turned the page on a historic era Sunday night, hosting their 2025-26 home opener, their first without Gregg Popovich on the sideline in nearly three decades.
Popovich, who stepped down from his head-coaching duties this offseason due to health concerns, remains the teams president of basketball operations.
But for the first time in 29 years, he wasnt pacing the bench when the Spurs tipped off against the Brooklyn Nets at Frost Bank Center.
To mark the occasion, San Antonio honored the legendary coach in a way that was as understated as it was powerful. The franchise raised a banner to the rafters bearing Popovichs name and the number of wins he earned in San Antonio, 1,390.
It was expected the Spurs would find a way to honor their longtime coach after he led the organization to sustained success for nearly three decades, ESPN wrote. But Coach Pop was never one for theatrics. So it should come as no surprise that San Antonio kept the fanfare to a minimum while still finding the perfect way to pay homage to the most important figure in the history of the franchise.
Legends. pic.twitter.com/cXKvpyBwcw
San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) October 26, 2025
The banner now hangs alongside the retired jerseys of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginbili, and Tony Parker, symbolically uniting the core four who built one of the most dominant dynasties the league has ever seen. Together, they captured four NBA titles and delivered 22 straight playoff appearances, a streak few teams in sports history can match.
Popovichs career record in San Antonio sits at 1,390-824 across 2,214 games, a rsum that earned him a place in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023.
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