San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich told his team Thursday he will not return to the bench this season, the team announced. Popovich’s long-term future with the organization remains uncertain as he continues to recover from a mild stroke he suffered in November. ESPN first reported Popovich was unlikely to coach again this season on Feb. 22.
“Mitch Johnson and his staff have done a wonderful job and the resolve and professionalism the players have shown, sticking together during a challenging season, has been outstanding,” Popovich said in a statement. “I will continue to focus on my health with the hope that I can return to coaching in the future.”
Popovich’s stroke occurred at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio prior to the Spurs’ matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Nov. 2. He was treated by emergency personnel and the team initially said he would be out due to an unspecified illness. Assistant coach Mitch Johnson was named interim head coach and has served in that role ever since.
Nearly two weeks later, on Nov. 13, the Spurs confirmed that Popovich had suffered a mild stroke. In a press release at the time, the Spurs said that Popovich had already started a rehabilitation program and was “expected to make a full recovery.”
Popovich released a statement on Dec. 16 thanking everyone for their support and expressing a desire to return to the sideline at some point:
“This has certainly been an unexpected six weeks for my family and me. As we work together on my recovery, I want to take a moment to share that the outpouring of support we’ve received has been truly overwhelming in the best possible way. While I wish I could get back to each one of you, for now, let me say that my family and I are forever grateful. We’re thankful for our wonderful community, the entire Spurs organization, and our family and friends.
“No one is more excited to see me return to the bench than the talented individuals who have been leading my rehabilitation process. They’ve quickly learned that I’m less than coachable.”
Popovich, 76, has been the Spurs’ coach since 1996 and also serves as the team’s president of basketball operations. During his tenure he’s led the Spurs to five championships (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014) and has been named NBA Coach of the Year three times (2003, 2012 and 2014). He is the winningest coach in NBA history with 1,412 regular-season wins (Popovich had 1,390 wins before his absence and has also been officially credited with the 22 wins the team has picked up under Johnson) and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023.
The Spurs recently had to shut down big man Victor Wembanyama due to a deep vein thrombosis in his shoulder. The French phenom is expected to make a full recovery and return to the court for the 2025-26 season.
Victor Wembanyama injury: Spurs star expected to miss rest of season with deep vein thrombosis in shoulder
Jasmyn Wimbish
After a solid start to the season, the Spurs have struggled since the turn of the new year and are now in 13th place in the Western Conference at 24-33, three games behind the Sacramento Kings for the final Play-In spot. Even with De’Aaron Fox now on board after a big trade deadline deal, it seems likely the Spurs are headed for the draft lottery rather than the postseason.
If the Spurs do indeed miss the playoffs, that would extend their playoff drought to a franchise-worst six seasons.
