3 reasons why Gregg Popovich is the greatest coach in NBA history

3.) Coaching Tree

Coach Popovich has a legacy that will forever live on in basketball lore. He has impacted almost every organization in the NBA at some point during his tenure with the Spurs. Distinguished coaches like Steve Kerr, Monty Williams, and Mike Brown all spent time learning tricks of the trade under Popovich as a player, assistant, or front-office executive.

Becky Hammon became the first full-time female coach in NBA history thanks to Popovich, and she has continued spreading his coaching philosophies as she dominates the WNBA with the Las Vegas Aces. Even if a coach never received mentorship from him, his willingness to pass on his basketball knowledge has probably impacted their career.

Though the "Spurs Way" is often criticized by outsiders, it is a culture many organizations have tried to replicate over the decades. Gregg Popovich doesn't have to demand respect because he earns it from treating others as more than people with corporate titles in front of their names.

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a coach is a person that "instructs or trains a performer or team." The beauty of Popovich is his instruction and training go beyond the basketball court. He touches lives, and that is why he will go down as the greatest head coach in NBA history.