Gregg Popovich has become part of San Antonio’s identity, now the long-time Spurs coach may have another honor bestowed upon him. The city of San Antonio is considering changing the name of its airport to honor Popovich. While many sports stars have buildings or programs named after them, to have an airport named after you is an honor that only the highest contributors to society receive. Since Gregg Popovich’s recent health issues, the city of San Antonio has been urged to honor the most successful coach in NBA history.
Gregg Popovich has become an icon of the city of San Antonio.
If one can contribute to a city’s status in some measurable way, chances are the residents of that city will find a way to return the favor. With this recent development, the city of San Antonio, Texas, is seeking to do just that by changing the name of its airport to honor easily one of the greatest coaches to grace the sport of basketball.
Popovich began his relationship with San Antonio as assistant coach for the Spurs under Larry Brown from 1988 to 1992. He was then lured away from the Lone Star State to the Golden State Warriors, where he served as assistant coach to Don Nelson. After only two years in Oakland, he was back on his way to Texas as the Spurs offered him the head coach job in 1994.
Popovich’s time as head coach of the San Antonio Spurs was incredibly productive, as he led the Spurs to 22 consecutive playoff appearances from 1998 to 2019. He also holds the record for most wins in NBA history, with 1,422 regular-season wins. He is a championship-level coach, as he led the Spurs to five NBA championships in his time as head coach. Molding players like Tim Duncan and Tony Parker along the way.
Could the city of San Antonio change the airport name to honor Popovich?
With any kind of name change for an airport, there needs to be careful consideration and a reputable source behind the proposal to do so. After Gregg Popovich’s health took a turn for the worse (he suffered a stroke in the home area on 02 November), the icon of San Antonio basketball made the hard decision to step away and vacate his position as head coach for the Spurs.
District 8 Councilman Manny Pelaez has submitted an official proposal for the name change, stating:
Coach Popovich’s impact on San Antonio is immeasurable. He has not only brought unparalleled success and recognition to our city through his legendary coaching, but he has also become a deeply respected and admired figure within our community,”
The San Antonio Spurs have a bright future ahead of them, they have all the cards to revolutionize the organization for the next era of the NBA. Whether the city decides to accept the proposal set forth by Councilman Manny Pelaez remains to be seen. One thing that we do know is that Gregg Popovich has earned the right to be called the best coach in NBA history.
What will be the legacy of Gregg Popovich in San Antonio?
As the season winds down, the San Antonio Spurs are among the teams looking to make some big moves this offseason. They have slowly fallen to the side as more and more smaller NBA teams find success. The era of Tim Duncan and Tony Parker will go down as the pinnacle of Gregg Popovich’s legacy. He reshaped the game and introduced the NBA to the skilled big man, Tim Duncan. Tony Parker would go down as a San Antonio legend as well, thanks in no small part to Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs.
