Gregg Popovich. AFP Photo
NEW YORK — San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was voted the NBA Coach of the Year for the 2011-2012 season, the NBA announced on Tuesday, marking the second time that Popovich has won the award.
Popovich, in his 16th season guiding the Spurs, coached San Antonio to a 50-16 record, matching Chicago for the best in the league. The Spurs reached the playoffs for a 15th consecutive season, the longest active NBA run.
Popovich, who also won the award in the 2002-2003 season, received 77 first-place votes and 467 total points in voting by a media panel.
Chicago’s Tom Thibodeau, last season’s winner, was second with 27 first-place votes and 315 points. Indiana’s Frank Vogel was third with seven first-place nods and 161 points.
Popovich is the longest tenured current coach with the same team in the four major North American pro sports leagues and his 68-percent win ratio is the best of any of the longest-tenured coaches from any of those sports.
With an NBA career record of 847-399 all spent with the Spurs, Popovich ranks second in NBA history for career triumphs with one club, trailing only former Utah coach Jerry Sloan’s total of 1,127.