San Antonio Spurs Hall of Fame head coach Gregg Popovich is not expected to return this season, and his NBA future is now uncertain as he recovers from a stroke suffered in November, league sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania on Saturday.
The latest development provides some closure during what has turned into a difficult season for San Antonio, which Thursday announced plans to shut down franchise superstar Victor Wembanyama after he was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder which rules him out for the remainder of the season.
Popovich posted a statement in December thanking the community, the Spurs organization, and friends for their continuous support. Throughout his absence, he remained in contact with Johnson which was his assistant coach, and as well with Spurs players, by providing support and opinions about game plans for attacking opponents.
Johnson mentioned in January that Popovich is “giving praise and cussing me out all at the same time.”
Spurs CEO RC Buford, Popovich’s closest confidant and the architect of most of the franchise’s title teams, stated in January that the coach was “attacking his rehab.”
Brian Wright who is the GM for the Spurs mentions, “It’s not one person to fill Pop’s shoes in this moment. It’s a village. We’ve all bonded together. We’re all playing our roles in that part, and we’ll continue to do that. It’s what he would want.”