San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich will not return to the team this season, he announced Thursday.
Popovich, 76, suffered a stroke in November. He has not coached a game since Oct. 31.
“I’ve decided not to return to the sidelines this season,” Popovich said in a statement released by the team Thursday. “ [Assistant coach] Mitch Johnson and his staff have done a wonderful job and the resolve and professionalism the players have shown, sticking together during a challenging season, has been outstanding. I will continue to focus on my health with the hope that I can return to coaching in the future.”
Popovich addressed Spurs players on Thursday for the first time to inform them of his decision not to return, according to reports by ESPN and NBA insider Chris Haynes. ESPN also reported Popovich’s future beyond this season is “uncertain.”
Popovich has been San Antonio’s head coach since 1996, and is one of the most accomplished coaches in NBA history. He has won five NBA championships with the Spurs, tied for third-most all-time. Popovich is also first on the NBA’s all-time coaching wins list and third in all-time playoff victories.
So far this season, the Spurs are 24-33 and in 13th place in the Western Conference.
Popovich is not the only notable figure on the Spurs who will miss the remainder of the season. Center Victor Wembanyama, the first overall pick of the 2024 NBA draft, was ruled out for the year earlier this month with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder.
In addition to his five championships, Popovich is a three-time NBA coach of the year and was the head coach of the U.S. men’s national basketball team at the Tokyo Olympics, winning a gold medal.
Before entering coaching, Popovich played college basketball for the United States Air Force Academy.
Popovich was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023.