Since the 1996-97 season, Gregg Popovich has been the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs, and he has long been considered one of the best coaches, if not the best coach, in the NBA.
But early this season, he suffered a mild stroke, and he took a leave of absence for an indefinite amount of time starting in early November.
On Monday, he released a statement regarding his health scare for the first time, and he thanked fans, the Spurs organization and his friends and family for their support, per Marc Stein.
Statement from Spurs coach Gregg Popovich: pic.twitter.com/btZX7DHm5L
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) December 16, 2024
Over the past 28 seasons, Popovich has been the constant in the Spurs organization, even as the roster consistently evolved and changed around him.
He guided the franchise to its first NBA championship in 1999 with a roster built around Hall of Fame big men David Robinson and Tim Duncan, as well as Sean Elliott and Avery Johnson.
When it won it all again in 2003, Duncan’s supporting cast looked different and now consisted of younger players such as guards Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili and 3-and-D wing Bruce Bowen.
When the Spurs won their last world title in 2014, a young forward named Kawhi Leonard ended up winning the NBA Finals MVP.
The team is now led by 7-foot-3, 20-year-old phenom Victor Wembanyama, and the 75-year-old Popovich would surely love to close out his coaching career with a sixth NBA championship.
San Antonio won just 22 games last season, but they’re currently 13-13 and in 11th place in the Western Conference, which means they have a shot at reaching the play-in tournament.
They haven’t made the playoffs since the 2018-19 season.
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