Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich Was Absent Due to 'Mild Stroke' Before Game, Is Expected to Make Full Recovery

The San Antonio Spurs say head coach Gregg Popovich will make a full recovery after suffering a “mild stroke” earlier this month.

On Wednesday, November 13th, the Spurs released an update on their 75-year-old coach, who has been out of the team since November 2nd.

“The San Antonio Spurs announced today that head coach Gregg Popovich suffered a mild stroke. The episode occurred on November 2nd at the Frost Bank Center,” the statement read.

According to the team, Popovich is expected to make a full recovery and has already begun a rehabilitation program. The Spurs said there is currently no timeline for his return to coaching an NBA team – which includes 2023 first-round draft pick Victor Wembanyam and NBA veteran Chris Paul.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is out indefinitely after a sudden health issue before the game

Mitch Johnson has served as interim head coach since Popovich — who won 5 NBA titles as coach of the Spurs and two Olympic gold medals with Team USA — suffered a stroke Nov. 2 shortly before the Spurs’ game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

“During this time, the organization is grateful to the community at large for providing the Popovich family with privacy and space,” the Spurs’ statement concluded.

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On November 4, ESPN’s NBA Insider Shams Charania reported that Popovich would be sidelined from the team while he recovers from a “medical issue” for an “indefinite period of time.”

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United States head coach Gregg Popovich cheers for his team.

Gregory Shamus/Getty

After the Nov. 2 game, interim coach Johnson told The Associated Press that he learned he would be taking over for Popovich just hours before tipoff. He described Popovich’s condition as an “unexpected illness” and simply told reporters, “He’s not feeling well,” and that “it’s happened before.”

Johnson said at the time that the team “always has to be ready for the next player,” according to the AP. “We’ve had it with injuries and sometimes people get sick or don’t feel well or things come up in life.”

LeBron James fights back tears as he talks about the death of coach Gregg Popovich’s wife, Erin

Popovich is one of the most beloved NBA coaches, retired and active, and is widely recognized as one of the most successful coaches in league history. Currently in his 29th season as San Antonio’s head coach, Popovich is just one of five coaches to win five or more titles.

Popovich led San Antonio to NBA championships in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014.

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