Jazz's Will Hardy Shares Thoughts on Gregg Popovich's Influence

Over the weekend, the announcement came across NBA headlines that long-time San Antonio Spurs HC Gregg Popovich would be ending his legendary tenure on the sidelines as head coach, transitioning to his new role as team president after suffering from a series of health issues.

Popovich, who was head coach of the Spurs for 29 seasons, winning five championships through his time with the franchise, had no shortage of impact across the NBA, and especially so for Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy, who was a part of the Spurs' staff from 2016 to 2021 as an assistant coach.

"I learned an incredible amount from Pop," Hardy said. "I think he really set the foundation of values for me that you carry into your team. I also recognize that I'm not Pop, our personalities are not the same, and so I'm not trying to emulate Pop."

While Pop had a strong impact on Hardy and his growth within the role he has now in the league, the two are drastically different coaches, and for Hardy, it's apparent he's not trying to mirror the five-time NBA champion– instead carving his own path with his own methods and ideologies to build his own regime in Utah.

Still, with his time being mentored and working alongside Popovich, the Jazz's third-year head coach was able to land a valuable, unique experience being next to one of the best coaches in the history of the sport at just 29 years old for over half of decade, before inevitably leaving for the Boston Celtics in 2021.

Now with Hardy's newly announced extension announced on Monday to keep him as the head coach of the Jazz until the 2031 season, it's clear that previous time with Pop has rubbed off in a positive way.

Looking at the newly announced retirement through the Spurs' lens, Popovich obviously won't be leading the charge on the sidelines in San Antonio, those honors will be handed off to interim coach Mitch Johnson. The now-former Spurs head coach will remain somewhat in the fold as the team president, still likely holding a significant pull within the team's decision-making in the front office.