NBA: Ranking every active head coach by playing career

Every NBA head coach ranked by playing career: 28. Gregg Popovich

One of the greatest coaches of all time, Gregg Popovich was far from a celebrated player. Popovich was cut from Merrillville High School as a sophomore but ended up making the team in his junior and senior years. He then went on to the Air Force Academy, where he played four years for the Falcons.

As a senior, Popovich was the captain of the team and led them in scoring (14.3 points per game). Then, during his tour of duty, he represented his country on the National AAU team that toured the Soviet Union. He was captain of the team in 1972 when they won the AAU championship, earning him an invitation to the U.S. Olympic Basketball trials.

That would mark the end of Popovich’s playing career, as he would return to the Academy in 1973 to become an assistant coach and the rest is history. After a few years at the Academy, Pomona-Pfizer and studying under Larry Brown, Popovich found his way to the San Antonio Spurs.

Popovich joined the ball club in 1987 as the lead assistant to Larry Brown until being let go in 1992. He would return to the team in 1994 and has been there ever since.