San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, told his team on Thursday that he would not go back to the bench this season, The team announced. The long -term future of Popovich with the organization remains uncertain when it continues to recover from a slight stroke that it suffered in November. ESPN first pointed out Popovich was unlikely to train this season again on February 22.
“Mitch Johnson and his staff have done a great job and the resolution and professionalism that the players have shown, remain together for a difficult season, was exceptional,” said Popovich in a statement. “I will continue to focus on my health in the hope of being able to return to training in the future.”
The stroke of Popovich took place at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio before the Spurs match against the Timberwolves of Minnesota on November 2. He was treated by emergency staff and that the team initially declared that he would be absent due to an unpertified disease. Assistant coach Mitch Johnson was appointed acting head coach and also played this role.
Almost two weeks later, on November 13, the Spurs confirmed that Popovich had undergone a slight stroke. In a press release at the time, the Spurs said that Popovich had already launched a rehabilitation program and had to “settle completely”.
Popovich published a statement On December 16, thanking everyone for their support and expressing the desire to return to the key line at a given moment:
“It was certainly an unexpected week for my family and me. While we are working together on my recovery, I want to take a moment to share that the effusion of the support we have received was really overwhelming in the best possible way. Although I want to come back to each of you, for the moment, let me say that my family and I are forever.
“No one is no longer excited to see me return to the bench that talented people who led my rehabilitation process. They quickly learned that I am less than coacha.”
Popovich, 76, has been the Spurs coach since 1996 and is also president of the basketball operations team. During his mandate, he led the Spurs at five championships (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014) and was appointed Nba Coach of the year three times (2003, 2012 and 2014). He is the most victorious coach in the history of the NBA with 1,412 regular seasonal victories (Popovich won 1,390 victories before his absence and was also officially credited with the 22 victories that the team won under Johnson) and was inducted in Basketball Hall of Fame in Naimemith Memorial in 2023.
Spurs recently had to stop the great man Victor Wembanyama due to a deep venous thrombosis on the shoulder. The French phenomenon should recover completely and return to court for the 2025-26 season.
Victor Wembanyama Injury: The star of the Spurs should miss the rest of the season with a deep venous thrombosis on the shoulder
Jasmine Wimbish
After a solid start to the season, the Spurs have had trouble since the start of the new year and are now in 13th place in the Western Conference at 24-33, three games behind the Kings of Sacramento for the last place of play. Even with De’Aaron Fox now on board after a big commercial deadline, it seems that the Spurs are heading for the draft lottery rather than the eliminatory series.
If the Spurs actually miss the playoffs, this would extend his drought in the playoffs to a first franchise in six seasons.
