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A San Antonio City Council committee on Wednesday approved a declaration to designate January 28, 2026, a day of service in honor of former Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich.
The day is also his birthday. A Council Consideration Request (CCR) by District 5 Councilwoman Terri Castillo for the proclamation was approved by the city council’s governance committee.
However, a separate CCR to name the San Antonio International Airport after Popovich was declined today based on a recommendation from city staff.
Popovich is the winningest coach in NBA history with an adjusted 1,390 wins. He’s also led the team to five NBA championships and is a previous Olympic coach of Team USA’s basketball team.
Popovich suffered a stroke last year and formally retired in May but remains a member of the Spurs organization as President of Basketball Operations.
The measure was originally filed in May under the previous city council and received the support of council members Sukh Kaur, and Marina Alderete Gavito and former council members John Courage and Adriana Rocha Garcia.
The request said Popovich's “unwavering compassion, hard work, and leadership represents the very best of our city and humanity.”
Councilwoman Castillo said her request is to treat the day as one to encourage people to give back, to be considered "a call to action, getting San Antonio resident city employees to volunteer and donate their time in an act of service for whatever nonprofit community organization that they choose."
The request also calls for city employees under the COSA Cares volunteer initiative to create acts of service for organizations "near and dear" to Popovich including Shoes that Fit, Haven for Hope, Champions against Hunger, the Innocence Project and others.
The second request was to rename the San Antonio International Airport, also known by the airport code, "SAT," after Gregg Popovich.
The request was filed by former councilman Manny Pelaez, also in May, around the time of his retirement. It alluded to Popovich's military service in the Air Force as another "compelling dimension" to the proposal that serves as a symbol of San Antonio's enduring relationship and deep respect for the Air Force.
That measure did not go forward, based on a recommendation from San Antonio’s Aviation Department.
The city staff report indicates the 2024 rebrand of changing the airport's visual representation to "SAT" was a "significant financial investment" and took several months to put into place. It added that renaming it would create a significant expense —close to $2 million—just less than two years after the rebranding.
