The San Antonio Spurs announced Wednesday that head coach Gregg Popovich suffered a mild stroke at the start of November, leading to his recent indefinite medical absence from the team.
In the statement released by the team, 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 started 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 be back this season, or if next season is a more realistic target.
Popovich’s stroke was originally announced as an unspecified medical issue that popped up on Nov. 2, the day the Spurs faced the Minnesota Timberwolves at home. Popovich did not coach that game and assistant Mitch Johnson prowled the sideline instead. It was announced on Nov. 4 Johnson would be the interim coach while Popovich was out. 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 career regular-season victories and another 170 postseason wins. He has also coached five Spurs teams to NBA titles.