The San Antonio Spurs announced Wednesday that head coach Gregg Popovich suffered a mild stroke in early November, leading to his recent indefinite medical absence from the team.
In the team’s statement, the Spurs said the stroke occurred on Nov. 2 at their home arena, the Frost Bank Center. Now, 11 days after the stroke, the team says Popovich has already begun a rehabilitation program and is “expected to make a full recovery.” However, there is no timeline for his return, so we don’t know when he will return this season or if next season is a more realistic goal.
Popovich’s stroke was originally announced as an unspecified medical issue that surfaced on Nov. 2, the day the Spurs faced the Minnesota Timberwolves at home. Popovich did not coach that game and assistant Mitch Johnson instead prowled the sideline. On November 4, it was announced that Johnson would be the interim coach while Popovich was absent. In the six games Johnson has coached in Popovich’s absence, the Spurs are 3-3.
Popovich, 75, is in his 29th season with the Spurs and is the longest-tenured head coach in the league. He leads the NBA in wins with 1,391 regular season wins and another 170 postseason wins. He has also coached five Spurs teams to NBA titles.
