The San Antonio Spurs announced on Wednesday that their coach, Gregg Popovich, suffered a mild stroke in early November, which led to his indefinite medical absence from the team.
In the statement released by the team, the Spurs said the stroke occurred on November 2 at their home stadium, Frostbank Centre. 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 timetable for his return, so we don’t know when he might return this season, or if next season is a more realistic goal.
Gregg Popovich suffered a stroke at the beginning of November, but is expected to make a full recovery.
Popovich’s stroke was originally reported as an unspecified medical issue that arose on November 2, the day the Spurs faced the Minnesota Timberwolves at home. Popovich did not coach that game and instead had assistant Mitch Johnson roam the sideline. It was announced on November 4 that Johnson would be the interim coach during Popovich’s absence. In the six matches that Johnson coached in Popovich’s absence, the Spurs won 3-3.
Popovich (75 years old) is spending his twenty-ninth season with Tottenham and is the longest-tenured coach in the league. He leads the NBA in victories with 1,391 in the regular season and another 170 in the postseason. He also coached five Spurs teams to NBA titles.
