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Legendary basketball coach Greg Popovich announced Friday that he will step down as head coach. San Antonio Spars I will be transitioning to the president of basketball operations full time.
The announcement follows Popovich’s absence for much of the 2024 season after what the team did. It was previously known as a mild stroke.
San Antonio Spurs head coach Greg Popovich (left) Tony Parker guard #9 spoke during practice during practice at San Antonio on Wednesday, June 12, 2013, ahead of Game 4 of the NBA Finals with the Miami Heat. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
“While my love and passion for the game remains, I have decided it’s time to leave as head coach,” Popovich said in a statement Friday afternoon. “I am forever grateful to the incredible players, coaches, staff and fans who have allowed me to serve them as the Spurs head coach and am excited to continue supporting an organization, community and city that makes a lot of sense to me.”
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Popovich’s tenure ended after almost three years of running when he coached the Spurs to five. NBA Championship. He is the league’s greatest winning leader in history and has earned the most playoff victories in one team by coaches in NBA history. His career, three times NBA Coach of the Year and an Olympic gold medal pick, won him a Hall of Fame location in 2023.
Each US basketball player won a gold medal to manager Greg Popovich at the men’s basketball medal ceremony at the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo on Saturday, August 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
“Pop coaches have an extraordinary impact on our families, San Antonio, the Spurs and basketball games,” Spurs managing partner Peter J. Holt said in a statement. “His admiration and awards don’t give justice to the impact he has made on so many people. He, along with fans all over the world, is grateful for his incredible 29 years of management as the San Antonio Spurs head coach.”
Popovich missed everything except five games except this season after struggling with strokes in the team’s arena on November 2nd. The 76-year-old coach has not spoken publicly since the incident, but addressed the team in February, saying he hopes to “return to coaching in the future.”
San Antonio Spurs head coach Greg Popovich is looking at the second half of the regular season NBA basketball game against the Phoenix Suns in Mexico City on Saturday, December 14th, 2019. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)
However, last month, Popovich reportedly suffered a medical incident while eating out at a restaurant.
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Popovich will remain with the Spurs as the team president he has been in charge since 1994. In 1996 he fired Bob Hill and appointed a coach.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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