By Reinaldo Oliveros
Nov 13, 2024, 1:54 PM EST
Gregg Popovich suffered a minor stroke after the end of an NBA game. The 75-year-old coach is out of danger, but he is not expected to return to the court soon with the Spurs.
The San Antonio Spurs reported that the coach suffered the attack on November 2 at the Frost Bank Centerteam home. On that day they faced the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“Popovich, who has already started a rehabilitation program, is expected to make a full recovery. So far, no timetable has been determined for his return to the bench. During this time, the organization thanks the community at large for providing privacy and space to the Popovich family,” the team reported.
Popovic has been coaching the San Antonio Spurs for 29 years. one of the most experienced coaches in the NBA.
The coach of the Texas franchise was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023 for his career, even when he was still managing the Spurs.
With the team he has three Coach of the Year awards and five NBA titles. For his lifetime, Popovich has 1,393 wins and 827 losses.
Who remained as coach of the San Antonio Spurs?
Mitch Johnson, assistant coach, remained as interim coach during the departure of Gregg Popovich.
“He doesn’t feel good,” Johnson said Nov. 2 of Popovich. “This has happened before. I think everyone has to always be prepared for the next one. We’ve had enough of injuries and sometimes people get sick or don’t feel well or unexpected things come up in life. “He just doesn’t feel good.”
Johnson, 39, has been a Spurs assistant coach for five years, being one of the youngest.
This is not the first time that the assistant coach has received this responsibility on the team. He was there on other occasions when Popovich was inducted into the Hall of Fame and when Tim Duncan received the same distinction.
As a player, Johnson spent time with Stanford University and also saw action in the G-League with the Tulsa 66ers.
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