The San Antonio Spurs will be down two major pieces in the stretch run of this season.
Head coach Gregg Popovich told the Spurs that he will not return to the team this season after suffering a stroke earlier in the year, the team announced Thursday.
"I've decided not to return to the sidelines this season," Popovich said in the statement released by the team. "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.
"I will continue to focus on my health with the hope that I can return to coaching in the future."
According to NBA insider Chris Haynes, Popovich addressed the team on Thursday for the first time since suffering his stroke in November. He updated them on his recovery and informed them he wouldn't be back this season.
Popovich has been in regular contact with Johnson, some team officials and has talked with some players at times during his absence — but he has not been seen at games or been known to be at any practices since the stroke happened.
ESPN's Shams Charania reported last week that Popovich wasn't expected to return and that his future with the team and in basketball remains uncertain.
Popovich’s visit to the team came a week after the Spurs announced that All-Star center Victor Wembanyama — the defensive player of the year favorite at the time and someone who was a serious candidate to make the All-NBA team — will not play again this season after deep vein thrombosis, or a blood clot, was found in his right shoulder.
The Spurs have not updated Popovich’s rehabilitation process in some time, other than saying that he is expected to make a full recovery. The team has not revealed what, if any, issues Popovich has been dealing with since the stroke.
Popovich had the stroke, a mild one as described by the team, on Nov. 2 at the Spurs' arena. At the time of the news, the team said the 76-year-old bench boss had begun a rehabilitation program with the belief that he would make a full recovery. The team released no other details, including what aftereffects of the stroke — if any — that he is dealing with.
Popovich is the NBA's all-time wins leader who has led the Spurs to five championships. Additionally, he guided USA Basketball to a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. He is in his 29th season as coach of the Spurs.
Mitch Johnson has been the acting head coach in Popovich’s absence. The Spurs are 24-33, good for 13th in the Western Conference, but are 1-4 since losing superstar Wembanyama for the season due to the blood-clot issue.
Wembanyama is beginning treatment immediately and the Spurs are working under the expectation that the seven-foot-three centre from France will fully recover, per multiple reports. His condition was diagnosed this week after he returned from the All-Star Game in San Francisco, the Spurs said Thursday. It is almost always treated with blood-thinning medication, and more evaluation will be needed.
Popovich mentioned returning to coaching in that statement, but did not reveal any timetable in a self-deprecating quip. “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 in the December statement. “They’ve quickly learned that I’m less than coachable.”
-- With files from the Associated Press
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