San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich suffered a mild stroke on Nov. 2 and is expected to make a full recovery, though a timeline for a return to the bench has not been set, the team said.
Popovich, 75, the NBA’s all-time leader for wins as a coach, has missed the last six games with a previously undisclosed health issue. The Spurs announced Popovich’s condition Wednesday and said he suffered the stroke while at Frost Bank Center — San Antonio’s home arena — before a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Popovich has been replaced on an interim basis by assistant Mitch Johnson, who has guided the team to a 3-3 record in Pop’s absence. In a news release announcing the coach’s condition, the Spurs said Popovich has already begun a rehabilitation program and expressed gratitude for “the extended community for providing privacy and space to the Popovich family.”
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) November 13, 2024
Popovich, a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, took over as coach of the Spurs in 1996 and steered the franchise to five NBA titles — the last coming in 2014. He has amassed 1,393 regular-season wins in 2,220 games and was thrice named the league’s coach of the year.
The Spurs last reached the playoffs in 2019 and are in the midst of a lengthy rebuild around French sensation, second-year pro Victor Wembanyama. A month after drafting Wemby first overall in 2023, the Spurs awarded Popovich a five-year $80 million contract extension to continue coaching the team through its transformation.
Additionally, Popovich served as head coach for USA Basketball from 2017 to 2021, directing the Americans at the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China and then the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. It didn’t go so well in China — USAB finished seventh in that tournament, the worst placing for an American team at a World Cup or Olympics — but Popovich rebounded to coach the team to Olympic gold in 2021.
Popovich is revered by the many considerable stars he has coached in San Antonio, players like David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. His coaching tree is extensive and his traditions of taking players and coaches to wine-soaked dinners are legendary, as is his occasionally cantankerous attitude toward media.
Popovich is also among the most outspoken NBA personalities in politics who has over the years harshly criticized President-elect Donald Trump, who is a Republican and has three times carried the state of Texas in elections — where Popovich lives and works.
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