Gregg Popovich: A Profile of the Leader of the San Antonio Spurs Dynasty

With the Spurs deeply entrenched in the playoff hunt once again, I thought it would be a good opportunity to take a look at who exactly Gregg Popovich is. What is his philosophy? What are his values and what type of player does he look for?

Having won the NBA Title in 4 of the last nine years "Pop" as he is referred to by most people around league as most have a set way of doing things that other coaches may want to pay attention to; Popovich isn't a man who likes to market himself or tell a lot of secrets though. Many may say that Popovich has been lucky given the fact that he drafted a dominant big man like Tim Duncan and that Popovich wouldn't be where he is today if it weren't for Duncan. This is something Popovich willingly admits to be a fact as noted by the SportingNews.

Popovich has never published a book on coaching itself, as most successful coordinators of dynasty sports organizations do. I highly doubt you will ever see Popovich on a Timex Watch or Visa commercial either; unless it is to benefit one of his favorite charities. This is why it is sort of hard to gain information about Popovich, he is so altruistic in his approach you'll never hear the man talk about himself unless it is in a deprecating manner to relax the team. It could almost be said that the man is a bit of an enigma. The first place anyone should look if they are trying out what kind of person Popovich is they should search no further then North Carolina legendary coach Dean Smith. Smith is a mentor of Popovich's and like Smith Popovich sacrificed for his country by serving in the United States Air Force. Smith was also a vocal critic of how the NCAA made tons of money during the month of March generally while NCAA athletes are not allowed to hold down jobs with a livable salary. Smith thought the NCAA could share part of the revenue.