Gregg Popovich won’t return to Spurs this season as stroke recovery continues

Gregg Popovich will not return to the San Antonio Spurs this season, he said in a team statement released Thursday. Popovich met with the team in person Thursday to share the update, per league sources.

Popovich, who has won five championships and more games than any coach in NBA history, has not coached since suffering what the Spurs described as a “mild stroke” on Nov. 2. His status for next season remains in question.

Spurs interim coach Mitch Johnson will remain in the same position for San Antonio’s final 25 games of 2024-25.

“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 the statement. “I will continue to focus on my health with the hope that I can return to coaching in the future.”

Popovich, or “Pop,” as he is known all over the world, is 76 years old and entered the year as the league’s oldest active coach. He is in the second season of a five-year contract.

The Spurs sit at 24-33, 13th in the Western Conference, and have drifted toward the bottom since losing young phenom Victor Wembanyama for the season. Doctors found a blood clot in Wembanyama’s right shoulder over the All-Star break. The Spurs are optimistic that he will be ready for the start of next season, the team has said.