Popovich has been a member of the Spurs organization since , as president of basketball operations and general manager before taking over as coach of the Spurs in Popovich is the longest tenured active coach in the NBA as well as all other major sports leagues in the United States.
Popovich led the Spurs to a winning record in his first 22 full seasons as head coach, surpassing Phil Jackson for the most consecutive winning seasons in NBA history. During his tenure, the Spurs have had a winning record against every other NBA team, being a key figure of the sustained success of the Spurs throughout the s, the s, and most of the s.
He was also the head coach of the U. He played on the academy's Air Force Falcons men's basketball team, and in his senior year was the team's captain and leading scorer. Popovich underwent Air Force intelligence training and briefly considered a career with the Central Intelligence Agency.
Armed Forces Basketball Team. Olympic Basketball Team trials. In , Popovich returned to the Air Force Academy as an assistant coach under the school's head basketball coach Hank Egan.
Egan later became an assistant coach under Popovich for the San Antonio Spurs. During his time as an assistant coach at the Academy, Popovich earned a master's degree in physical education and sports sciences from the University of Denver.
