Spurs' Gregg Popovich Ties Don Nelson for Most Wins by HC in NBA History

Gregg Popovich was already arguably the greatest coach in NBA history.

Now he has the win total to back it up.

The San Antonio Spurs coach tied Don Nelson for the most wins in NBA history with his 1,335th career victory. He reached the milestone with a 117-110 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday.

San Antonio improved to 25-40 on the season with the win and remains on the outside of the playoff picture in 12th place in the Western Conference standings.

Popovich entered the season just 25 wins behind Nelon's mark. He also previously passed Lenny Wilkens, who was second on the list at the start of the 2021-22 campaign with 1,332 wins.

A major difference between Popovich and the two other legends is that the new record-holder has spent his entire head coaching career with one team. That stands in stark contrast to Nelson, who led the Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks.

Wilkens was the head coach of the Seattle SuperSonics, Portland Trail Blazers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors and New York Knicks.

Popovich was asked about pursuing Nelson's record early in the season and, while he didn't delve into much detail about the record, he said his key to success was to "draft Tim Duncan. After that, stay alive," per Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News.

Drafting Duncan certainly helped, and Popovich is well on the way to joining Nelson and Wilkens in the Hall of Fame with five NBA titles and three Coach of the Year awards during a head coaching career that started with the 1996-97 campaign.

The first championship came in 1999 with a young Duncan and veteran David Robinson leading the way, while Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili became key figures for the titles in 2003, 2005 and 2007.

Many of those playoff runs were defined by San Antonio's showdowns with the Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal-led Los Angeles Lakers, while Popovich's fifth championship came with a 2014 NBA Finals win over the LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh-led Miami Heat.

The Miami win was a testament to his coaching ability because the Spurs lost in heartbreaking fashion to that same Heat team in the 2013 NBA Finals during the previous season. Many squads likely would have struggled to put Ray Allen's famous three that eventually led to Miami's 2013 win behind it, but San Antonio appeared to be on a mission throughout the campaign until it lifted the trophy.

This season's team is nowhere near the ones featuring Duncan, Robinson, Parker, Ginobili and Kawhi Leonard that won titles, which is a major reason Popovich's pursuit of history was the biggest Spurs storyline in 2021-22.

Still, there is reason for hope with a young core featuring the likes of Dejounte Murray and Keldon Johnson.

They have arguably the greatest coach in NBA history leading them in the early portion of their careers, which will surely pay dividends when they hit their primes. They can also say they were a part of history thanks to Monday's win.