Spurs turn to Popovich and Spurs legends ahead of NBA Finals 2026

The Spurs will make their first NBA Finals appearance since 2014 with guidance from former coach Gregg Popovich and other franchise legends.

Spurs arrive in San Antonio The Spurs landed in San Antonio on Saturday after winning a dramatic Game 7 over Oklahoma City, securing their spot in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014. Victor Wembanyama immediately sought out Gregg Popovich at the airport following the victory, describing the emotions as overwhelming. 'I saw Pop right away when we landed,' Wembanyama said. 'The emotion was something I haven't felt in a while, I don't even know since when. Coming back down from this is a challenge. We still need to really come back down to Earth and realize we haven't done the hardest [task] yet.' ## Popovich’s enduring influence Even though Gregg Popovich stepped away from coaching after a stroke last November, he remains a central figure for the team. Keldon Johnson described the impact Popovich has when he enters a room at Frost Bank Center or the training facility: 'You shut the f--- up.' Popovich continues to attend practices at the Victory Capital Performance Center following his daily rehab sessions led by Hall of Fame forward Tim Duncan. De'Aaron Fox noted that Popovich isn’t the only Spurs legend contributing to the team’s championship knowledge, emphasizing the value of having multiple Hall of Famers sharing their insights. ## Leadership from Spurs greats Current CEO R.C. Buford, a former two-time NBA Executive of the Year, joins Popovich, Duncan, Manu Ginobili, David Robinson, Sean Elliott, and Bruce Bowen as trusted voices within the organization. Fox praised the presence of these champions, saying, 'Not even just Pop, just the organization as a whole. It's a lot of people walking through this building that have been there and done that. We could just have practice, and Manu is there or Tim is there. We have these guys who have won multiple championships and been to the mountaintop multiple times. You can ask them anything. Obviously Pop is going to come in. He's going to speak his mind. He comes to shootarounds, practices. You'll see him here and there. It can be something as small as boxing someone out on a free throw or one extra pass that happened at this point of the game that could have changed the game. It's just great having those types of people in your ear.' ## Coach Johnson’s reliance on Popovich Interim head coach Mitch Johnson took over after Popovich’s stroke last season and led the team to a 32-45 record over 77 games. Popovich, now the Spurs’ director of basketball operations and jokingly calling himself 'El Jefe,' stayed in close contact with Johnson throughout his rehab. Johnson described their ongoing relationship as one filled with feedback, discussion, and mutual challenges. 'The relationship has stayed the same in terms of feedback, discussion, challenging each other, me asking him a lot of questions, him giving me a lot of wisdom,' Johnson said. 'He's a pretty good resource for what I've been walking through since October and up until now.' ## Popovich’s legacy and support structure Popovich ended his coaching career as the NBA’s all-time leader in regular-season wins with 1,422 victories, earned three Coach of the Year awards, and ranks third in playoff wins. He is one of only five coaches to win at least five championships. Johnson credited Popovich and the Spurs’ leadership team for creating an environment where individuals feel valued while maintaining high standards. 'He, R.C. [Buford], the whole family, people that have been in our organization for a long time, have really set an environment of how one operates and interacts with each other in our building and within our program,' Johnson said. 'It allows people to hopefully feel valued and be themselves while also understanding how competitive and how hard we have to work to be where we want to be.' ## Championship experience throughout The Spurs organization continues to benefit from the deep well of championship experience within its walls. Johnson highlighted how the presence of legends like Popovich, Duncan, and others provides daily guidance and perspective. 'They're not saying it because it made them successful. They want to see other people be successful,' Fox said. 'That's a great thing to have, especially throughout the course of a long year and in a long Finals run.'