SAN ANTONIO — Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich has confirmed that he won’t be returning to coach this season as his team continues to break into the playoff picture.
Popovich – the Hall of Famer who has coached the team since 1996 and amassed the most wins of any NBA head coach in history – is still recovering from a stroke he suffered in November 2024. Mitch Johnson has taken and held the reins of acting head coach ever since.
“I’ve decided not to return to the sidelines this season,” reads Popovich’s statement, shared by the Spurs on X (formerly Twitter. “Mitch Johnson and his staff have done a wonderful job and the resolve and professionalism the players have shown, sticking together during a challenging season, has been outstanding. I will continue to focus on my health with the hope that I can return to coaching in the future.”
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) February 27, 2025
It’s the second public statement Popovich has released since his stroke, the first coming in early December when he called the support he’s received “truly overwhelming.” He’s been away from the team since Nov. 2, when he experienced the medical issue.
NBA Insider Shams Charania, who broke the news that Coach Popovich was not expected to return this season earlier this week, added that Popovich held an “emotional in-person meeting” with the Spurs players Thursday.
The team is 24-33, nearing the end of its Rodeo Road Trip and without the services of star Victor Wembanyama as they try to make ground on the Play-In Tournament picture. As of Thursday afternoon, they’re 5.5 games out of a play-in spot.
Gregg Popovich held an emotional in-person meeting today with his Spurs players, who were all able to see him for the first time since his stroke in November, sources tell ESPN. Popovich will not return as coach this season and his NBA future remains uncertain as he recovers. https://t.co/RmduwYrMZj
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 27, 2025
Charania’s post also says that 76-year-old Popovich’s future coaching in the NBA “remains uncertain.”