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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Gregg Popovich retired as head coach of the |
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San Antonio Spurs on May 2, 2025, drawing to a close a legendary |
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career that transformed the sport of basketball; and |
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WHEREAS, The architect of a Spurs dynasty that brought five |
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NBA titles to the Alamo City, Coach Popovich is stepping down to |
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serve as the team's president of basketball operations; he ends his |
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hall of fame career as the all-time winningest coach in league |
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history with 1,422 victories; over the course of 29 seasons, he |
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collected three Coach of the Year awards and guided the team to six |
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NBA Finals and 22 consecutive playoff appearances; and |
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WHEREAS, Born in East Chicago, Indiana, Gregg Popovich |
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lettered in three sports at Merrillville High School and played |
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basketball at the U.S. Air Force Academy; he went on to serve five |
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years of active military duty, and during that time, he traveled |
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through Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union as a member of the Armed |
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Forces basketball team; he began his coaching career in 1973 as head |
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coach of the USAFA Prep School, and he later became an assistant on |
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the USAFA college team and head coach of the Pomona and Pitzer |
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Colleges combined men's basketball team; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1986, Coach Popovich became a volunteer assistant |
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at the University of Kansas under head coach Larry Brown; when |
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Mr. Brown took charge of the Spurs two years later, Mr. Popovich |
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arrived in San Antonio for his first NBA coaching job; he |
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subsequently served as an assistant with the Golden State Warriors |
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but returned to San Antonio in 1994 to become general manager and |
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vice president of basketball operations; early in the 1996-1997 |
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season, with the Spurs struggling, he was named head coach, |
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beginning his legendary tenure at the helm of the team; and |
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WHEREAS, Coach Popovich proved himself a master of matching |
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San Antonio's playing style to the talents of his athletes, and the |
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defense-first, early championship teams led by the "Twin Towers" of |
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Tim Duncan and David Robinson gave way to the so-called "Beautiful |
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Game" Spurs of the mid-2010s that carved through the league with an |
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unselfish brand of basketball; in total, the Popovich-era Spurs |
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were crowned NBA champions in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014; the |
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franchise's accomplishments were unprecedented for a small-market |
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team, and the Spurs became the gold standard in professional sports |
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for their revered culture; beyond the titles, Coach Popovich helped |
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pioneer such innovations as providing players with rest periods to |
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prolong their careers and scouting international basketball |
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talent; in addition, he has mentored a long list of coaches and |
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front-office personnel who have found notable success in the sport; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Early on, Coach Popovich was known for his gruffness |
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and no-nonsense approach, but as the years passed, he gained the |
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reputation as a players' coach who led with a wry sense of humor and |
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brutal honesty; he valued building deep connections with players |
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and staff, and the Spurs' team dinners, preferably with six people |
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to a table and plenty of wine, became the stuff of legend; his |
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effective leadership was also demonstrated on the Olympic stage in |
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2021, when he guided Team USA to the gold medal at the Summer Games |
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in Tokyo; and |
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WHEREAS, "Coach Pop" has become a fixture in the San Antonio |
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community who is beloved not only for his coaching expertise but for |
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his civic engagement; he has spoken about race and politics with a |
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candidness rarely found in sports, and he has been actively |
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involved with organizations such as Roy Maas Youth Alternatives, |
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the Boys and Girls Club, and the Miracle League of San Antonio; |
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moreover, the Spurs Youth Basketball League, a program he helped |
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create in 1991, was honored with a Daily Point of Light Award by |
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President George H. W. Bush; and |
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WHEREAS, One of the most successful basketball coaches in the |
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history of the game, Gregg Popovich has distinguished himself |
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through his unparalleled leadership and deep commitment to his |
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community and country, and he may indeed reflect with pride on his |
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extraordinary achievements as he concludes his coaching career; |
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now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas |
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Legislature hereby congratulate Gregg Popovich on his retirement as |
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head coach of the San Antonio Spurs and extend to him sincere best |
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wishes for the future; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Coach Pop as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
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House of Representatives. |