Spurs coach Gregg Popovich suffered a stroke and a full recovery was expected

N.B.A

The 75-year-old coach is in his 29th season with the team.

By RAUL DOMINGUEZ and TIM REYNOLDS, Associated Press

November 14, 2024 | 8:39 am

SAN ANTONIO (AP) – Basketball Hall of Famer Gregg Popovich is recovering from what San Antonio did Tracks described as a mild stroke, though there is no timetable for the NBA’s longest-running coach to return to the sidelines.

Popovich suffered the stroke on Nov. 2 at the arena where the Spurs play, the team said Wednesday, and has already begun a rehabilitation program in the belief he will make a full recovery. The team has not released any other details, including any after-effects of the stroke he is dealing with.

“It’s a tough time for everyone,” Spurs general manager Brian Wright said. “Coach Pop has been the leader of this organization for the past thirty years. We have all encountered or known people who simply have a different look, a different presence. Clearly he is one of those people. When we walk into the building every day, we feel that leadership, we feel that presence and so when we don’t have him there, there’s obviously a void. And we miss him.”

The 75-year-old Popovich is the NBA’s all-time leader and has led the Spurs to five championships, plus USA Basketball to a gold medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. He is in his 29th season as Spurs coach . .

‘He’s doing well. He’s doing well. … He’s tough, he’s a fighter and he goes to work,” Wright said. “We are all here for him, but he is doing well.”

Assistant coach Mitch Johnson was the acting head coach in Popovich’s absence. The Spurs defeated Washington 139-130 on Wednesday night, the seventh straight game in which Johnson filled in for Popovich.

“Mitch was great,” Spurs rookie Stephon Castle said Wednesday before the team announced details about Popovich’s health. “Even when Pop was here, he always had a voice in our groups and in our locker room. Our philosophies have not changed.”

Victor Wembanyamawho scored a career-high 50 points in the win over the Wizards, said the team first heard about Popovich’s stroke before the team’s announcement.

“Of course I’m a little worried about Pop,” Wembanyama said. “At the same time, I haven’t spoken to him, but I know what mentality he has. I know he’s working like crazy, probably trying to get back to us as soon as possible. I trust him. I trust the people who are taking care of him now. I hope he won’t be away from us for too long.”

A stroke occurs when blood flow to part of the brain is blocked or when a blood vessel in the brain bursts. That deprives the brain of oxygen, which can cause brain damage that can lead to problems thinking, talking and walking, or even death. Strokes can lead to problems speaking, paralysis or loss of movement in certain muscles, memory loss and more.

It is unknown whether Popovich is dealing with any after-effects of the stroke.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, stroke was the fourth leading cause of death in the US in 2023. More than half a million Americans suffer a stroke every year.

The Spurs played the Minnesota Timberwolves at home on November 2, and Popovich’s medical episode occurred there in the hours before that game. Johnson took over for that night’s game, which the Spurs won, after the team said Popovich was not feeling well.

Johnson and Popovich spoke on November 3, and on November 4, Johnson said Popovich “is in good spirits…he will be fine. He’s fine.” Spurs had not released many details since then, prior to Wednesday’s announcement about the stroke.

Wright was pleased with the way Johnson and the Spurs have bonded and handled the team leader’s absence.

“It’s exactly what Coach Pop would want us to do,” Wright said. “And so it’s up to all of us to play our part, to play our part, to continue to lean on each other, support each other and be there for each other.”

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 is 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 a part of the Spurs for almost 35 years. He served as an assistant coach from 1988 to 1992, then returned to the club on May 31, 1994 as executive vice president of basketball operations and general manager. He made the decision on December 10, 1996 to fire coach Bob Hill and appoint himself coach.

Since then he has been the secondary boss of Spurs.

“We look forward to the day we can welcome him back,” Wright said.

Popovich’s 29-year stint with the Spurs is one that is virtually unparalleled in American major professional sports history.

Connie Mack led the Philadelphia Athletics for fifty years, George Halas coached the Chicago bears for 40 years and John McGraw led the New York Giants for 31 years. These three terms – all completed over half a century ago – are the only ones to surpass Popovich’s streak with the Spurs; his 29-year era in San Antonio so far matches the tenures of Dallas Cowboys’ Tom Landry and Green Bay Packers’ Curly Lambeau in those jobs.