Gregg Popovich may no longer be coaching the Spurs from the sideline, but the NBA Finals have shown how much the job still pulls at him.
San Antonio is back on the Finals stage with Victor Wembanyama leading a new era, and Popovich is watching from above rather than standing in front of the bench.
That image says everything. The franchise has changed, but the man who built their standard is still emotionally tied to every possession.
Gregg Popovich still feels every Spurs Finals possession
The clearest window into Popovich’s feelings came from a suite conversation with Antonio Daniels during Game 1, where Daniels says Popovich admitted how badly he missed the sideline.
“We watched the game tonight in Pops’ suite with him. I asked him tonight ‘Do you miss it?’ And he said, ‘You have no idea how much. I wish I was down there right now!'”
That answer fits a 29-season tenure that defined modern San Antonio basketball. Popovich led the Spurs to five NBA titles, built one of the league’s great cultures, and oversaw a record-tying run of 22 straight playoff appearances.
Ill health changed his role after Wembanyama’s rookie season had launched the rebuild. A stroke during the following campaign forced Popovich away from coaching, and he later moved fully into his role as president of basketball operations.
Still, this roster carries his fingerprints. Wembanyama’s development, the franchise’s patience, and the emphasis on accountability all connect back to Popovich, even without him walking the sideline.
Mitch Johnson has turned Popovich’s trust into a Spurs Finals run
Popovich’s relationship with Mitch Johnson has helped make the transition feel stable instead of abrupt.
Johnson was handed the job under difficult circumstances, then turned his first full season into a 62-20 record, a Western Conference Finals win over Oklahoma City, and a place in the NBA Finals.
He has also spoken about Popovich as a daily resource, describing a relationship built on feedback, questions, challenges, and support. Johnson is not trying to erase Popovich; he is trying to carry the standard forward in his own voice.
The league has noticed what San Antonio has built. Sean Sweeney, Johnson’s associate head coach and defensive architect, has already been hired by the Orlando Magic after helping shape a defense centered around Wembanyama.
That is the clearest sign of success. Popovich may wish he were still down there, but Johnson has made the Spurs good enough that the rest of the NBA is already trying to copy the people around him.
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