Gregg Popovich and Steve Kerr are two of the league’s longest-tenured head coaches. Popovich has been head coach of the San Antonio Spurs since the 1996-97 season while Kerr has manned the Golden State Warriors since the 2014-15 season.
Given that Popovich is 74 years old, there’s been some speculation that he could retire sometime soon. He remains without a contract for the upcoming season, though the Spurs getting the chance to draft Victor Wembanyama might entice him to stay on.
Sources tell Ahn Fire that Kerr could ultimately take over for Popovich in San Antonio, while Kenny Atkinson would replace Kerr in Golden State.
Golden State is dealing with the loss of executive Bob Myers, who announced on Tuesday that he is leaving the team after many successful years. Losing Kerr as well would be another big blow to an organization that is coming off a tough loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals.
The 57-year-old Kerr has strong ties to the Spurs organization, as he spent four of his last five seasons as a player there. During his time with the franchise, he won two titles. Popovich was his head head coach in all four of those seasons, so the two undoubtedly have a strong relationship.
Throughout his career as a coach, Kerr has amassed a record of 473-238, winning four titles in the process. He’s a big reason why the Warriors have been able to enjoy so much success over the past decade.
As for Popovich, he’s the league’s all-time leader in wins with 1,366. He’s led the Spurs to five NBA titles during his time as their head coach and is regarded by many as one of the greatest coaches in NBA history.
Kerr would have huge shoes to fill if he does end up taking over in San Antonio, but Spurs fans would likely be confident about the future of their team in that scenario.
Atkinson replacing Kerr in Golden State would also be fairly interesting. In the summer of 2022, Atkinson first accepted a four-year deal to become the Charlotte Hornets’ head coach before changing his mind and staying with the Warriors. Perhaps he was promised that he would take over in the event that Kerr left the organization.
ESPN Sources: Kenny Atkinson has decided he won’t become the Charlotte Hornets’ head coach and will remain with Golden State as top assistant. After being offered job during the NBA Finals, further conversations led Atkinson to believe it would be best to remain with Warriors.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 18, 2022
Only time will tell what ends up taking place, but it seems like there could be some major shake-ups throughout the league.
