San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich and Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra are the two longest-tenured head coaches in the NBA right now.
Both coaches have enjoyed incredible success and are widely considered to be amongst the best in the NBA. The similarities don’t end there, according to one of Popovich’s Spurs players.
Spurs guard Keldon Johnson, who is part of the USA Select Team that is being led by Spoelstra, talked about the similarities he sees between Spoelstra and Popovich.
“They definitely preach the same things, just making the right decision and having a plan when you make that decision,” said Johnson. “They’re definitely similar, but they definitely have their own way of getting to you and telling you things.”
Both coaches are amongst the elite in the NBA. Popovich has a career regular season record of 1,310-653 to go along with five NBA titles while Spoelstra has a regular season record of 607-424 to go along with two NBA titles.
As head coaches, Spoelstra and Popovich have faced off twice in the NBA Finals. Each coach has won one series against the other.
Seeing the two face off again during the playoffs would surely be exciting, but only time will tell if there is another matchup in store.