Gregg Popovich is one of the greatest NBA coaches of all-time. With 1,176 total career wins, Popovich only stands between a few games of legendary coaches such as Pat Riley and Jerry Sloan. In fact, he is 159 wins away from the all-time wins record by a coach, which is held by Don Nelson at 1,335.
In a few seasons of coaching, Popovich could break the record. With 20 NBA seasons under his belt, Popovich is one of the beloved and respected coaches currently in the NBA. Though, it wasn't always like that for Popovich, especially when he joined the Spurs as their head coach in 1996.
According to USA Today, Popovich's decision to fire Bob Hill and make himself coach and general manager was not well received. In fact, it angered Spurs fans and players. A poll conducted by the The San Antonio Express-News found that 92 percent of Spurs fans wanted Popovich fired in 1997.
Nevertheless, Popovich had a stern view of what it took to be a head coach in the NBA, which shows some of his reasoning why he made the decision in 1996.
“The pressure is always there for any coach,” Popovich said. “You've got to get the job done. If you don't, you're not there. If you do get it done, you get to stay.”
In 1996, the Spurs were 3-15 under Bob Hill. Popovich soon took over and led the Spurs to a 20-62 record. Therefore, it was understandable why Spurs fans were upset at the firing of Hill. However, Popovich converted the Spurs into a high-class winning organization in a short time, capturing the franchise's first title in 1999.
Now with five NBA titles under his belt, it's unbelievable that Spurs fans wanted one of the greatest coaches in NBA history to be fired 20 years ago.
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