Gregg Popovich informs the Spurs that he will not be returning this season

Gregg Popovich, the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs, told the players he will not be returning this season at his first meeting with the team since his stroke on Thursday.

Popovich said, “I’ve decided not to return to the sidelines this season,” in a statement released by the franchise. “The players’ perseverance and professionalism in sticking together during a difficult season has been exceptional, and Mitch Johnson and his staff have done an amazing job. I’ll keep putting my health first in the hopes of eventually being able to coach again.”

Just five games into the season, Popovich had what the Spurs described as a small stroke on November 2, and ESPN reported last week that the team anticipated finishing the season without him.

In Popovich’s absence, the Spurs have a 22-30 record (24-33 overall) under interim coach Johnson. Popovich has been the team’s coach since the 1996–97 season and has won five NBA titles.

We don’t know what Popovich has planned for the upcoming season.

On January 28, the NBA’s most successful coach celebrated his 76th birthday. Popovich has played 2,250 games for the Spurs and has a 1,407-843-career record. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inducted the three-time NBA Coach of the Year in 2023.