According to a report from ESPN, San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich plans on returning for a 24th season.

The normally private, Popovich said Monday he is negotiating a new deal with the Spurs after his most recent contract expired at the end of this season. There has been speculation the 70-year-old coaching veteran would return, however Popovich put that to rest saying:

“I’m currently in negotiations and could very well end up with either the Portofino Flyers or the Positano Pirates (or the Spurs), I think it’s like one-third Positano, one-third Portofino and one-third San Antonio. So, we’ll see where I end up.”

Popovich has 1,245 wins, third-most in NBA history behind Don Nelson and Lenny Wilkens, and is one of five coaches to win five NBA championships. This summer he will coach USA Basketball in the FIBA World Cup in China, and will coach the Americans in the Tokyo Olympics next summer.

Of Popovich’s twenty-four seasons in San Antonio, the Spurs have reached the playoffs the last 22, a streak that ties for the longest in NBA history.

Popovich just completed the final year of the five-year contract extension that he signed with the Spurs after they won the NBA title in 2014.  Although it is difficult to imagine a sideline in San Antonio without “Pop,” eventually all things must come to an end.  and when that time comes, his career will be one of the NBA’s most successful and respected leaders.