COACH POPOVICH TELLS SPURS HE WON’T RETURN THIS SEASON – He coached the team since the 1996-97 season and won five NBA championships.
San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich met with the team for the first time since his stroke and informed the players he is not returning this season. ESPN reported last week that the team expected to finish the campaign without Popovich, who suffered what the Spurs called a mild stroke on November 2 just five games into the season.
Mitch Johnson, the interim coach, has led the Spurs to a 22-30 mark (24-33 overall) in the absence of Popovich, who has coached the team since the 1996-97 season and won five NBA championships.
Popovich’s plans for next season are unknown. The coach with the most wins in NBA history turned 76 at the end of January. Popovich owns a career record of 1,407-843 in 2,250 games with the Spurs. The three-time NBA Coach of the Year was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023.
