Legendary San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich is stepping away from head coaching duties amid his ongoing health issues resulting from a stroke last year.
Popovich, 76, will now become the full-time team president.
“Gregg Popovich will no longer be Head Coach of the San Antonio Spurs and is transitioning full-time to Team President, sources told ESPN,” NBA reporter Shams Charania wrote on X. “The iconic Popovich is a Basketball Hall of Famer, the NBA’s all-time winningest coach, and led the Spurs to five championships.”
The announcement follows a report from two weeks ago, when Popovich fainted at a San Antonio restaurant. The five-time NBA champion’s health problems began in earnest in mid-November when he suffered a stroke that sidelined him for this season.
Mitch Johnson assumed coaching duties in Popovich’s absence.
Popovich’s health issues came as the Spurs attempted to reclaim their former primacy in the NBA’s Western Conference after drafting 7’4 “phenom Victor Wembanyama.
The Spurs have found themselves in the unfamiliar position of drafting #1 overall in 2023 and outside the playoff picture in 2024, after one of the longest dynastic runs of dominance in sports history under Popovich.
Since taking over in 1996, Popovich has led the Spurs to 5 NBA championships, 2,291 wins, and a .621 winning percentage.
