The Gregg Popovich coaching tree is one of the most prolific and fruitful across the entire NBA, as a myriad of coaches has ties to Popovich as an assistant coach or some other position with the San Antonio Spurs under Coach Pop’s tutelage.
Now, after news broke that Ime Udoka, a top assistant, will join the Philadelphia 76ers staff as Brett Brown’s lead assistant (another Popovich alumnus), the Spurs will likely elevate Will Hardy to replace Udoka as one of Pop’s most reliable coaches, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Expect Will Hardy, one of the league's impressive young coaches, to take on a more prominent role on the Spurs coaching staff with Udoka's departure. https://t.co/vIPnTeAo2N
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 7, 2019
Of course, Becky Hammon, who is Popovich’s top assistant with the Spurs was the first full-time female assistant coach in NBA history, as well as the first full-time assistant coach in any of the four major professional sports in North America. Not only does Popovich find the best basketball minds, but he’s also a forward-thinker.
Hardy has been with the Spurs since 2013 when he started as a video coordinator. Here is his bio on the San Antonio Spurs official site:
“With his eighth season in silver and black underway, Will Hardy tipped off his time with the team in 2013 as a video coordinator before eventually earning a seat on the Spurs sideline six years later. For the past three summers, he’s served as the head coach of the Spurs Summer League team in Utah along with an appearance as head coach of the 2017 Spurs MGM Resorts Summer League squad.”
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