Let’s be honest: Gregg Popovich isn’t just a coach. He’s the system. With the Spurs legend stepping down after 29 seasons, fans aren’t just wondering what’s next, they’re asking — should Pop get a jersey retired in his honor?

He never played in the NBA. But then again, neither did several legendary coaches who’ve been immortalized in the rafters. And if anyone deserves it, it’s the man who turned fundamentals and frowning into five NBA championships. Jeremy Sochan didn’t hold back when talking about his relationship with Pop — and honestly, it might be the most Spurs quote of all time.

“I have got in trouble. Not crazy. Last year I got kicked out of practice one time. And it was more just, you know, he was, you know, kind of, Pop’s my guy. Like, we always say to each other, like, we’re like a married couple. Like, there’s days where we love each other and there’s days where it’s like, no, I don’t like you.“

This is basically the Popovich player experience. You get praise one day, and the next day, he’s subbing you out faster than DeMar DeRozan in a clutch situation. “And I think, you know, one practice he kind of saw me and, you know, thought I could give more effort… he just literally told me to get out. And I didn’t, you know, with Pop you don’t really want to talk back to him. I felt his mood and his presence. I was like, okay, this one’s the one where I’ll just walk to the locker room and, yeah,” he drifted off sheepishly.

Only Pop could turn getting kicked out of practice into a bonding moment! Now, about that jersey retirement.

Should the Spurs retire a jersey for Pop?

Even though Pop never played a minute for the Spurs, there’s plenty of precedent for coaches getting jersey numbers retired: Doug Moe: Nuggets retired #432 for his wins. Bobby Leonard: Pacers gave him #529. Jerry Sloan: Jazz went big with #1223. Red Holzman: Knicks hung #613.

Pop holds the all-time record for regular-season wins (1,422) and combined wins (1,592) — both more impressive than any superteam without a game plan. So yeah, a jersey with #1422 or #1592 would be fitting. Here’s a Spursy twist: what if the team retired #5? Five NBA championships. Five roles in the organization: assistant coach, GM, head coach, president, and culture architect.

The Celtics retired #2 for Red Auerbach (coach + exec). The Pistons retired #2 for Chuck Daly’s two titles. So why not #5 for Pop? The only hiccup: Jeremy Sochan currently wears #5, and fans love him too much to snatch it away. But hey, maybe down the line? If numbers get tricky, why not get creative? A jersey with “P0P” — the “O” as a zero. Or just plain old “Coach Pop”, no number. Like Prince, but with clipboards.

Or maybe #29, for the number of seasons Popovich coached the Spurs. That one screams “longevity” and “loyalty” — two things that lasted longer than half the superteams in the 2010s. Even Houston once retired initials for Carroll Dawson. So something like “G.P.” is totally in bounds.

Pop wasn’t always Coach Pop. From 1966 to 1970, he played for the Air Force Academy, averaging 14.3 points in his senior year while rocking #20. After graduation, he served five years in the U.S. Air Force and even played for the Armed Forces team that toured the Soviet Union.

He returned to the Academy as an assistant coach in 1973 and earned a Master’s degree in physical education. Basically, the man built a Hall of Fame résumé before setting foot on an NBA bench.

Whether it’s #5, #1592, or a classy “Coach Pop” banner, Gregg Popovich deserves to be immortalized in the AT&T Center. Not just for the wins, but for building a culture that prioritized team play, accountability, and giving your full effort — unless you enjoy being sent to the locker room like Sochan. For 29 years, Pop gave the NBA its most stable franchise and its most sarcastic press conferences. The least the Spurs can do is give him a spot in the rafters that makes fans smile and say, “That’s our guy.”