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Spurs’ Gregg Popovich Confirms He Won’t Return This Season Due to Health Concerns

5-Time NBA Champion Suffered a Mild Stroke in November and Will Prioritize His Health for the Rest of the Season

· Feb 28 - 4 minutes read

Prayers up for a Legend

In NBA news that does not come as a surprise, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich confirmed to his players Thursday that he will not return this season after suffering a mild stroke in November.

The 76-year-old Hall of Fame legend, who has won the most NBA games in history, has been sidelined to focus on his health since November. Assistant coach Mitch Johnson has stepped in as the interim coach and will remain in that role for the rest of the 2024-25 season.

Spurs' Gregg Popovich Confirms He Won’t Return This Season Due to Health Concerns — Head coach Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs | Alex Goodlett/Getty Images/AFP

This is a Gregg Popovich appreciation post. Prayers up for one of the greatest of all time 🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/cgLnx4SczZ

— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) February 27, 2025

Per NBA rumors, this week was the first time Popovich got to see his players since stepping away, and they shared an emotional meeting to deliver the news about the rest of the season.

“I’ve decided not to return to the sidelines this season,” Popovich said through a team statement. “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.”

As for his coaching future, Popovich has not ruled out a return to the sideline.

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

A Tough Year for San Antonio

This has been a tough season for the Spurs due to health reasons. Not only are they dealing with their coach’s stroke, but their young phenom, Victor Wembanyama, was shut down for the season last week when it was discovered that he has deep vein thrombosis (blood clot) in his shoulder, a very unusual condition that must be taken seriously.

The betting odds for Wembanyama to win Defensive Player of the Year were overwhelming for the league’s leader in blocks. But due to new NBA rules that require a minimum of 65 games played for season awards, he is now ineligible to win anything, including being named All-NBA for the first time.

Under Pop’s guidance and Wembanyama’s development, the Spurs were a trendy team to improve in 2024-25 according to NBA picks and predictions from many experts. But a 4-game losing streak has the Spurs at 24-33, casting some doubt in their ability to finish over their preseason line of 35.5 wins.

BREAKING: Gregg Popovich is “not expected to return this season, and his future is uncertain” as he recovers from a mild stroke per Shams.

If this is the end, what an incredible career:

🔸All-Time leader in NBA Wins
🔸5x NBA Champion
🔸1x Olympic Gold
🔸3x Coach of the Year… pic.twitter.com/OGUcnjGOYl

— Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) February 23, 2025

The Spurs are also the 13th seed in the Western Conference, several games off the pace of the play-in tournament, so that’s why their NBA championship odds have dropped to +100000 at BetUS.

Brighter Days Ahead

You can only wish Popovich and Wembanyama the best going forward. If this does end up being the end for the coach, Popovich will go down as one of the best to ever do it, winning five championships and a 3-time Coach of the Year winner as well. He battled everyone from Phil Jackson’s Lakers to Steve Nash’s Suns to LeBron James and the Golden State Warriors.

As for Wembanyama, you have to think he can be the next face of the league in the near future as long as they get his blood clots under control, which isn’t always a sure thing if you look at the end of Chris Bosh’s career.

The Spurs also have a rookie who is a favorite to win Rookie of the Year in guard Stephon Castle, so the future can be bright.