Spurs’ Gregg Popovich Not Expected To Return This Season, Future Uncertain

Spurs Hall of Fame coach Gregg Popovich is not expected to return this season, and his NBA future remains uncertain as he continues to recover from a stroke he suffered in November, league sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania.

The latest development offers some closure during a difficult season for the Spurs. On Thursday, San Antonio announced plans to shut down franchise superstar Victor Wembanyama after he was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder.

Popovich and Wembanyama have been in close contact over the past few days, sources told Charania. The coach has been actively communicating with Wembanyama and providing guidance following the diagnosis.

“It is wild to think of the circumstances and the situations that we’ve been through as a team this year,” Spurs point guard Chris Paul said after Wembanyama’s medical setback, a form of blood clot in his shoulder. “But I think you guys know when situations happen in your family that somehow, someway brings you closer.”

Popovich is the NBA’s winningest coach, with 1,390 regular-season victories and another 170 in the postseason, along with five championships. He suffered a “mild stroke” on Nov. 2, just ahead of a matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

San Antonio moved assistant Mitch Johnson into the head coaching role on an interim basis, where he has posted a 21-27 record while leading the young Spurs.

Popovich, who has coached the Spurs since the 1996-97 season, turned 76 in January, making him the oldest coach in NBA history. In 2020, he surpassed Hubie Brown, who was 71 when he coached his final game with the Memphis Grizzlies.

Initially, when Johnson was named acting head coach, the plan was for Popovich to eventually return. In December, Popovich released a statement thanking the community, the Spurs organization, and his friends for their support.

“No one is more excited to see me return to the bench than the talented individuals who have been leading my rehabilitation process,” Popovich said jokingly in the statement. “They’ve quickly learned that I’m less than coachable.”

During his absence, Popovich, who also serves as the team’s president, has kept in contact with Johnson and the Spurs players, offering support and advice on game plans.

Johnson mentioned in January that Popovich is “giving praise and cussing me out all at the same time.”

Spurs CEO RC Buford, Popovich’s closest confidant and the architect of most of the franchise’s title teams, said in January that the coach was “attacking his rehab.”

“The same resilience he’s shown over the course of our career as a coach, he’s approaching his return in his rehab in an incredibly unique way,” Buford said. “The relationships he’s had with former players and the care they’re sharing with him is amazing, and his improvement continues.”

In addition to his NBA success, Popovich has also thrived on the international stage, leading USA Basketball to a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

“It’s not one person to fill Pop’s shoes in this moment. It’s a village,” general manager Brian Wright said 11 days after Popovich’s stroke. “We’ve all bonded together. We’re all playing our roles in that part, and we’ll continue to do that. It’s what he would want.”