SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Spurs have unveiled a banner celebrating Gregg Popovich. Fittingly, they did it quietly.
The banner was hoisted before San Antonio’s home opener on Sunday against Brooklyn. A Spurs official said there would be no ceremony to commemorate the banner or honor Popovich, which is what the self-effacing coach wanted.
“I think it’s very Pop-esque,” said coach Mitch Johnson, who took over for Popovich this season.
Instead of grand fanfare, fans looked up to the rafters of the Frost Bank Center to see a simple white banner that read, “Pop 1,390,” in tribute to his NBA-record career coaching victories. In addition to the Spurs logo, there are five stars atop the banner signifying the five championships Popovich brought to a once-futile franchise, and the bottom of the banner says “Hall of Fame” in honor of his 2023 induction.
The banner hangs alongside David Robinson’s No. 50, Sean Elliott’s No. 32, Avery Johnson’s No. 6, Bruce Bowen’s No. 12, Tim Duncan’s No. 21, Manu Ginobili’s No. 20 and Tony Parker’s No. 9.
“Obviously, what an honor to have him be included with that group,” Johnson said. “Can’t say enough in terms of 29 years as a head coach, longer with the organization, five championships. Everything that you see, hear or have heard regarding this organization, he has his imprint all over it. … Just in terms of the importance of everything — how we do everything and the attention to detail and the consistency and the love, blood, sweat and tears that he put into it.”
Popovich stepped down as coach of the Spurs in May, ending a three-decade run that saw him become the league’s career wins leader and earn induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame. He had a stroke at the team’s arena on Nov. 2, 2024, and did not coach again, though he remains with the team as president.
“It’s a lot of emotions for a lot of people, I know,” Johnson said, ”but for myself, for sure just to see that up there and have him join that group (is emotional).”
Popovich long deflected any credit for San Antonio’s success. He instead downplayed his role as someone who simply rolled the balls onto the court for Hall of Fame players. That modesty is in keeping with what he requested of all his players — get over yourself, which is to say, remain humble and do not take yourself too seriously.
“What the hell am I doing here? How could this happen?” Popovich said during his Hall of Fame induction speech. “It’s hard to describe, because I’m a Division III guy.”
Popovich’s coaching career began as an assistant at the Air Force Academy in 1973 before he became head coach of Division III Pomona-Pitzer in 1979. He eventually became head coach of the Spurs in 1996, leading the franchise to 22 straight postseason appearances and five championships before he was forced to step down in May 2025, putting out a simple statement to the media.
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