LeBron James said the Lakers’ NBA Cup game against the Spurs on Friday is secondary to Gregg Popovich and his recovery from a “mild stroke” on Nov. 2.
After recording his third straight triple-double in a 128-123 Victory against the Grizzlies on Wednesday, James only wanted to talk about “my dear friend coach Pop,” rather than his team’s next matchup against the Spurs.
“But for me personally, there’s much bigger news out of San Antonio right now and that’s my dear friend coach Pop,” James said after Lakers rallied to beat the Grizzlies at Crypto.com Arena, per Fox. “And I’ll be thinking heavily about him as I travel there tomorrow. The game on Friday.
“And I’m wishing him the best of health. And hopefully, I see him soon. It doesn’t even have to be on the sidelines. Hopefully I’ll just see him soon. That’s the most important for me.”
Popovich, 75, suffered a health issue that was not disclosed before missing a victory over the Timberwolves on Nov. 2.
On Tuesday, the Spurs revealed Popovich suffered a “mild stroke” earlier this month at Frost Bank Center, the team’s arena, and that he has already begun a rehab program.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Popovich sent a message to his team amid his recovery process, “When I’m back, I’ll be back. Don’t worry about me.”
Spurs GM Brian Wright said Popovich — who’s in his 29th season at the helm — is “doing well” but there is no timeline for his return.
“It is on all of us to play our part, to play our role, to continue to lean on each other, support each other, and be there for one another. And we look forward to the day that we can welcome him back,” Wright said before Wednesday’s game. “But it takes a village, and we’re all committed to that. But most importantly, we’re committed to making sure that he has everything he needs and giving him the time and space to continue to recover. And we’ll look forward to getting him back.”
Mitch Johnson, 37, has taken over as interim head coach during Popovich’s absence.
“He’s not feeling well,” Johnson said at the time. “This has happened before. I think everybody’s just always got to be ready for the next man up. We’ve had it with injuries and sometimes people get sick or don’t feel well or things come up in life. He’s just not feeling well.”
Johnson is the son of former Seattle SuperSonic forward John Johnson.
