It’s been fair to wonder what exactly Gregg Popovich was hanging onto.
The man has won five NBA titles in San Antonio. His 1,366 career regular-season coaching victories is most in league history. He’s widely considered one of the top five NBA coaches ever. He led the United States to gold in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. He has plenty of money. He never seemed much for fame.
So as his age crept up — 74 years old — and the Spurs win total dropped — 22-60 last season, the fourth consecutive losing campaign — why would a man with nothing left to prove keep going out there and trying to prove things?