The future leadership for the USA Basketball Men’s National Team was disclosed this week when USA Basketball Chairman Jerry Colangelo officially announced that five-time NBA championship and longtime San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich has been named head coach of the USA Basketball Men’s National Team for the 2017-20 quadrennium.
Additionally, USA Basketball announced that Colangelo will continue in 2017-20 as Managing Director of the USA Basketball Men’s National Team and that current USA National Team head coach Mike Krzyzewski following the 2016 Rio Olympics will move into a special advisor role with Colangelo and the USA National Team for 2017-20. USA Basketball’s Board of Directors approved the three selections.
“I’m extremely humbled and honored to have the opportunity to represent our country as the coach of the USA National Team,” said Popovich.
The USA National Team currently owns a 63-game winning streak that dates back to 2006 and includes 45 consecutive victories in FIBA and FIBA Americas competitions and 18 consecutive exhibition wins. The USA men have won back-to-back Olympic gold medals (2008 and 2012) and back-to-back FIBA World Cup gold medals (2010 and 2014) for the first time ever.
In 19 seasons (1996-97 through 2014-15) as head coach of the NBA San Antonio Spurs, Popovich currently stands as the longest tenured active coach in both the NBA and in all U.S. major sports leagues. He ranks third all-time among NBA coaches for the most consecutive winning regular seasons with 18, behind only Pat Riley (19) and Phil Jackson (20). Popovich has led San Antonio Spurs teams to five NBA championships (1999, 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2014) and lists as one of just five coaches in NBA history to win five or more NBA titles.
Internationally, Popovich served as an assistant coach for three USA Basketball national teams and compiled an overall record of 29-7, while winning one gold and one bronze medal. He served as an assistant coach for the 2002 USA World Championship Team that finished in sixth place with a 6-3 record, the 2003 USA FIBA Americas Championship Team (FIBA Americas Olympic qualifying tournament) that captured a 10-0 record, a gold medal and a qualifying berth for the 2004 Olympics, and as an assistant to Larry Brown and the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team that won a bronze medal with a 5-3 record.
By Staff of TheDailySportsHerald.com and news services
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