Coach Popovich agrees to contract extension with Spurs

(Reuters) - Gregg Popovich, one of only five coaches to have won at least five National Basketball Association (NBA) championships, has agreed to a multi-year contract extension with the San Antonio Spurs, the team said on Wednesday. The 65-year-old, widely known for his wry sense of humor and nicknamed "Coach Pop" or just "Pop", guided the Spurs to their fifth NBA title last month when they beat the two-time defending champion Miami Heat 4-1 in the best-of-seven finals. As per club policy terms of the contract were not disclosed, the Spurs said in a brief statement. Popovich, who took charge of the Spurs in 1996 and has become the longest serving active coach in the league, was in April voted NBA Coach of the Year for a third time. He had led San Antonio to a league-best record of 62-20 during the 2013-14 regular season before they relentlessly advanced through the playoffs. The Spurs have been a model of consistency under Popovich and, with veteran forward Tim Duncan and guards Tony Parker and Manu Ginobil pivotal figures over the past decade, he has established a 1,116-533 career record, including the playoffs. Popovich won NBA titles with the Spurs in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2014 to emulate Phil Jackson, Red Auerbach, Pat Riley and John Kundla as the only coaches to have claimed at least five. (Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Frank Pingue)