Thirteen different coaches consisting of eight midseason replacements, the Suns are not of the patient kind

As mentioned previously, an article entitled “Pop’s Incredible Longevity” revealed that San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich has coached against 307 different NBA coaches during his twenty-eight year tenure at the helm.

Since December 1996, Pop has consistently coached the Spurs, give or take an ejection or two. Tonight the Spurs play the Phoenix Suns.

In the days leading up to Pop taking over as head coach of the San Antonio Spurs, former Spurs head coach Cotton Fitzsimmons accumulated an 0-8 start to the season and retired and before the Spurs saw the Suns. Pop’s inaugural opponent was Danny Ainge (1996-1999).

Ainge went 40-34 in his partial first season, followed that with an impressive 56-26, and went 27-23 in the shortened lockout 1999 season. On December 14, 1999, Ainge resigned citing a need to spend more time with his family. He was replaced by assistant coach Scott Skiles (1999-2002).

Under Skiles, Phoenix made the playoffs in two of his three years as head coach, knocking out our San Antonio Spurs in 2000.

Skiles left midseason 2002 and was replaced by assistant Frank Johnson (2002-2003) who finished the season, took the Suns to the first round of the playoffs, and then was fired after an 8-13 start to the 2003-2004 season.

Mike D’Antoni (2003-2008) has had the longest tenure and the most success during the Pop era. A formidable foe and fun coach to serve as a rival to the Silver & Black.

Former Spurs point guard Terry Porter succeeded D’Antoni but only last 51 games before being fired and replaced by Alvin Gentry, who served as an assistant coach from 1988-1990 to Larry Brown in San Antonio alongside Pop and R. C. Buford.

Gentry had three full seasons before mutually parted ways with the Suns on January 18, 2013, leaving Lindsey Hunter to finish out the season before being replaced by Jeff Hornacek.

Hornacek (2013-2016) was runner-up coach in the 2014 NBA Coach of the Year Award to Gregg Popovich. On February 1, 2016, the Suns fired Hornacek.

Assistant Earl Watson (2016-2017) completed the the 2016-2017 season, went 24-58 in his lone full season, and was fired on October 22 after an 0-3 start.

Watson was replaced on an interim basis by associate head coach Jay Triano for the rest of the season. Triano had faced off with Pop during his three seasons with the Toronto Raptors.

Igor Kokosgov coached the 2018-2019 season, but a 19-63 record led to his firing at the end of the season.

Monty Williams, who played for the Spurs early in Pop’s career, spent four years (2019-2023) with the Suns, taking them to the 2021 NBA Finals. After the Finals loss, the Suns went into “win now” mode, trading future draft picks and young, developing players, for Kevin Durant. They also shed Deandre Ayton and brought in Bradley Beal.

Additionally, they broke ties with Williams and brought in Frank Vogel, whose NBA championship with the Lakers offered a roadmap for the Suns to follow.

The Suns are currently in a three-way tie with the Kings and Mavericks, hoping to avoid the play-in tournament.

They face a Spurs team that beat them in consecutive games in Phoenix last fall. Can the Spurs repeat with two wins at home over the next two games against the Suns?

Tonight we find out.

Go Spurs Go!