Current:Home > MySpurs coach Gregg Popovich had a stroke earlier this month, is expected to make full recovery -EliteFunds
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had a stroke earlier this month, is expected to make full recovery
View
Date:2025-04-13 05:29:59
Basketball Hall of Famer Gregg Popovich has been away from the team because he suffered a mild stroke earlier this month, the San Antonio Spurs announced Wednesday.
Popovich is in his 29th season as coach of the Spurs and there is no timetable for his return to the sideline, the team said. The stroke happened on Nov. 2 at the team’s arena, and Popovich is expected to make a full recovery.
The 75-year-old Popovich, the NBA’s all-time win leader and a coach of five Spurs teams that won league championships, has already started a rehabilitation program, the team said.
“During this time, the organization is grateful to the extended community for providing privacy and space to the Popovich family,” the Spurs said in a release.
Assistant coach Mitch Johnson has been the acting head coach in Popovich’s absence. The Spurs play at home Wednesday against Washington, and that will be the seventh straight game where Johnson will be filling in for Popovich.
Stroke was the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. in 2023, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and more than half a million Americans have a stroke every year.
The Spurs were playing the Minnesota Timberwolves at home on Nov. 2, and Popovich’s medical episode there occurred in the hours before that game. Johnson took over for that night’s contest, which the Spurs won, after the team said Popovich was not feeling well.
Johnson and Popovich spoke the following day. The Spurs had not released much in the way of details since, prior to Wednesday’s announcement about the stroke.
“Right now, his health is the No. 1 priority,” Johnson said on Nov. 4, adding, “He’s in good spirits. He’ll be OK. He is OK. And we can’t wait to have him back.”
Popovich is one of only three coaches to win the NBA coach of the year award three times, Don Nelson and Pat Riley being the others. He’s one of five coaches with at least five NBA titles; Phil Jackson (11), Red Auerbach (9), John Kundla (5) and Riley (5) are the others.
Popovich has been part of the Spurs for nearly 35 years. He was an assistant coach from 1988 through 1992, then returned to the club on May 31, 1994, as its executive vice president for basketball operations and general manager. He made the decision to fire coach Bob Hill and appoint himself coach on Dec. 10, 1996.
He’s been the Spurs’ sideline boss ever since.
Popovich’s 29-year run with the Spurs is a span the likes of which has been nearly unmatched in U.S. major pro sports history.
Connie Mack managed the Philadelphia Athletics for 50 years, George Halas coached the Chicago Bears for 40 years and John McGraw managed the New York Giants for 31 years. Those three tenures — all wrapping up well over a half-century ago — are the only ones exceeding Popovich’s run with the Spurs; his 29-year era in San Antonio matches the tenures that Dallas Cowboys’ Tom Landry and the Green Bay Packers’ Curly Lambeau had in those jobs.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
veryGood! (93)
Related
- Selena Gomez's "Weird Uncles" Steve Martin and Martin Short React to Her Engagement
- Rob Lowe teases a 'St. Elmo's Fire' sequel: 'We've met with the studio'
- Hailey Merkt, former 'The Bachelor' contestant, dies at 31
- Fed leaves key interest rate unchanged, signals possible rate cut in September
- All That You Wanted to Know About She’s All That
- Who Is Gabriel Medina? Why the Brazilian Surfer's Photo Is Going Viral at the 2024 Olympics
- Recount to settle narrow Virginia GOP primary between US Rep. Bob Good and a Trump-backed challenger
- Britney Spears' Ex Sam Asghari Shares What He Learned From Their Marriage
- Rams vs. 49ers highlights: LA wins rainy defensive struggle in key divisional game
- Families rally to urge North Carolina lawmakers to fully fund private-school vouchers
Ranking
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- Inmate set for sentencing in prison killing of Boston gangster James ‘Whitey’ Bulger
- Lawyers for Saudi Arabia seek dismissal of claims it supported the Sept. 11 hijackers
- Great Britain swimmer 'absolutely gutted' after 200-meter backstroke disqualification
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- Don’t expect a balloon drop quite yet. How the virtual roll call to nominate Kamala Harris will work
- You can get Krispy Kreme doughnuts for $1 today: How to redeem the offer
- 1 dead as Colorado wildfire spreads; California Park Fire raging
Recommendation
Most popular books of the week: See what topped USA TODAY's bestselling books list
Etsy plans to test its first-ever loyalty program as it aims to boost sales
Fed leaves key interest rate unchanged, signals possible rate cut in September
Minnesota man gets 20 years for fatally stabbing teen, wounding others on Wisconsin river
Trump invites nearly all federal workers to quit now, get paid through September
Park Fire jeopardizing one of California’s most iconic species: ‘This species could blink out’
Keep an eye on your inbox: 25 million student loan borrowers to get email on forgiveness
Chrissy Teigen and John Legend's Son Miles Diagnosed With Type 1 Diabetes