Book excerpt: Learn the Inspiring Story of the San Antonio Spurs' Legendary Coach Gregg Popovich! Read on your PC, Mac, smartphone, tablet or Kindle device. This holiday season, if you buy the print edition as a gift, you can keep the Kindle edition for yourself! In Gregg Popovich: The Inspiring Life and Leadership Lessons of One of Basketball's Greatest Coaches, you will learn the inspirational story of one of basketball's premier coaches, Gregg Popovich. Popovich has steered the ship for the San Antonio Spurs franchise to multiple championships and perennial playoff contention. Despite having to navigate several key personnel changes over the years, Pop has demonstrated a truly unique ability to adapt to the direction of the game. When he retires from coaching, Pop will go down as one of the greatest coaches of all time. There are a number of key leadership lessons that can be learned from Pop, such as getting the right players on your team, maximizing the potential of each individual player, and remaining a stern disciplinarian to earn the trust and respect of your team. Here is a preview of what is inside this book: Background Story NBA Coaching Career Building the Spurs Dynasty The Gregg Popovich System How Gregg Popovich Maximizes Player Talent Gregg Popovich, the Leader Key Takeaways Conclusion and Gregg Popovich's Legacy An excerpt from the book: Much like how soldiers are the reasons why countries win battles, players are the reasons why NBA teams win games on the hardwood floor. The countless hours they put into honing and crafting their game in the gym and weight room contributes to how they affect the outcome of games. They sacrifice and pour out their sweat, tears, and even blood for the purpose of giving wins to their teams and fans. But while NBA games are won by the players on the floor, preparation and strategy have always been the keys to winning championships. Soldiers may be the reasons why battles are won, but wars are won outside of the battlefield. And in the NBA, players may be the reasons why teams win games, but championships are won by the leadership of their coaches. And when it comes down to coaching, one would be hard-pressed to find someone better than Gregg Popovich in that department. There have been many great coaches that have become legendary names in the history of the NBA. There was Red Auerbach, who was a revolutionary at making his team focus on making each other better on his way to nine NBA championships during the 60's era of the league. While relying on Bill Russell's leadership on the floor, the Boston Celtics were winning titles and dominating in a less competitive era because of how Auerbach instilled in them the basics and fundamentals of team play. Decades later, Pat Riley would make the Los Angeles Lakers the best show on the planet by running a fast-paced system that relied on the fastbreak and passing skills of Magic Johnson. Riley would win four titles with the Lakers back in the 80's and would later win one again with the Miami Heat in 2006 at the tail end of his coaching career. Tags: Gregg Popovich Bio, Gregg Popovich basketball, San Antonio Spurs basketball, Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge, David West, Manu Ginobili, Craig Sager, Steve Kerr, Phil Jackson, Doc Rivers, Larry Brown, Brad Stevens