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 statement released by the team, the Spurs said the hit happened 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 might return this season, or if next season is a more realistic goal.
Popovich’s stroke was originally reported as an unspecified medical issue that came to light on Nov. 2, the day the Spurs faced the Minnesota Timberwolves at home. Popovich did not coach that game and assistant Mitch Johnson roamed the sidelines instead. It was announced on November 4 that Johnson would be the interim coach while Popovich was out. In the six games Johnson 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 career regular-season wins and an additional 170 postseason wins. He also coached five Spurs teams to NBA titles.
