'Titles and accolades don't quite capture his influence': Legendary coach Gregg Popovich bows out

He was the mastermind behind the advent of the San Antonio Spurs . The one who breathed life into a franchise accustomed to defeats. Without him, the Spurs dynasty of Tony Parker , Tim Duncan, and Manu Ginobili would probably not have had such a significant impact on the NBA at the turn of the 2000s, and until 2014, the date of their final title.

Gregg Popovich, the coach who was thought to be a permanent fixture on the Texas team's bench, will be leaving his post after 29 seasons, the Spurs announced Friday, and an entire part of NBA history is suddenly gone.

"While my love and passion for the game remains intact, I have decided to step down as head coach," said "Coach Pop," 76, in a statement from the franchise. "I will forever be grateful to the players, staff and fans who allowed me to remain their head coach at the Spurs and I am grateful for the opportunity to continue helping our organization, our community and our city that mean so much to me."

Friday's announcement was dreaded. It comes after a long period of uncertainty, with Popovich having been laid off since a stroke in November, handing the reins of the team to his former assistant Mitch Johnson, who was subsequently confirmed as head coach. This is especially true given that he had suffered another medical scare in April.

Popovich's legacy in the NBA is colossal. The Indiana native made NBA history by leading the Texas team since 1996, a record-breaking tenure. The following year, he began shaping the imperial Tim Duncan. French fans then saw him help Tony Parker win and oversee the debut of the Victor Wembanyama diamond. "Coach, thank you for your wisdom, for your leadership, for the environment you've created... Most importantly, because you're an incredible person to be inspired by. It's been an honor to be a part of these 29 seasons," "Wemby" praised on his social media.

Before his arrival on the Spurs bench, the Texan franchise was a second-tier, unremarkable team with no record. With "Coach Pop" at the helm, San Antonio now has five titles (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014), the last four of which were won by Tony Parker . He won a record 1,422 games at the helm of the Spurs. "Coach Pop had a profound impact on the Spurs family and the game of basketball," club president Peter J. Holt said in tribute. "Titles and accolades are not enough to convey the influence he had on so many people."

The septuagenarian leaves a lasting legacy in his approach to the game, having trained dozens of coaches and hundreds of players. He was the one who pioneered Becky Hammon, the first woman to coach an NBA team. At the start of the current season, four of the NBA's thirty coaches had already worked under Popovich.

All were able to confront, beyond the injunctions and precepts, a certain vision of basketball, of humanity, and of the world. Sometimes funny and brilliant, often grumpy and sarcastic, Popovich sometimes sketched a small smile at the end of the exercise that he hated the most: answering journalists. Nothing amused him more than seeing their livid faces after having mistreated them. For example, he paid for the extravagant costumes of his "favorite victim" , the late Craig Sager. The day the journalist reappeared thin after cancer treatment, "Pop" hugged him and showed his true face, warm, human, before correcting himself: "Now ask your two stupid questions" .

"Having a sense of humor is extremely important to me because I think that people who don't have self-deprecation, who don't appreciate funny moments, won't be able to give their all for a team," explained the man who shaped Tony Parker, drafted at 19, in his own unique style, pushing him to the limit very early on. "During one of his first training sessions, I brought a few guys to get into him. I wanted to see what he had in his belly. He impressed me. So, I told him, ball in hand: 'It's up to you, find solutions, I'm going to love you and yell at you at the same time,'" he summed up. This didn't stop the Frenchman from subsequently considering him as a second father.

His legendary cheekiness shone through beyond basketball, with Popovich not mincing his words when it came to calling Donald Trump a "liar," a "racist," and a "pathetic."

Faced with the challenges of rebuilding after the retirements of his stars in the mid-2010s, Popovich struggled to keep his team competitive. The Spurs have just missed the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season. But they have made progress in their rebuild around star Victor Wembanyama and by signing All-Star point guard De'Aaron Fox in February. The Texans also saw their guard Stephon Castle named Rookie of the Year earlier this week.

What's the sign of a new golden era? Popovich will have laid the foundation. San Antonio's planned rise to prominence in the coming seasons will be under the leadership of 38-year-old Mitch Johnson, who joined the Spurs in 2016. He had been Popovich's assistant for six seasons. For Popovich, the story doesn't end there, however: he will become the Spurs' president of basketball operations. The NBA is far from finished with him, and vice versa.