Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is still recovering from a stroke, it is unclear when he will be able to return
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Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is still recovering from a stroke, it is unclear when he will be able to return

Posted on by Amelia Pressman

It’s still unclear when he’ll be back on the sidelines, but longtime San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich thanked fans and the basketball world for their support in a statement after he suffered a stroke earlier this year.

Popovich suffered a mild stroke at the team’s arena on November 2 and has been recovering since then.

“This has certainly been an unexpected six weeks for my family and I,” he said in a statement Monday afternoon, marking his first comments since his stroke.

“As we work together on my recovery, I would like to take a moment to share that the overwhelming support we have received during this time has truly been overwhelming in the best way possible. I wish I could get in touch with each and every one of you for now, but let me just say that my family and I are forever grateful. We are grateful for our wonderful community, the entire Spurs organization, and our family and friends.”

The Spurs initially said Popovich was out with an unspecified medical issue, but confirmed he suffered a stroke nearly two weeks later. Popovich is expected to make a full recovery.

Assistant coach Mitch Johnson will lead the Spurs in his absence. The team currently holds a record of 13-13 heading into Thursday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks. The Spurs have gone 11-10 without Popovich, despite losing four of their last six games.

Popovich, 75, is now in his 29th season as the Spurs’ head coach, making him the league’s longest-serving head coach. He leads the NBA with 1,391 regular-season wins and has another 170 postseason wins with five championships, most recently in 2014.

Neither the Spurs nor Popovich have said when he can return. But from the sounds of it and knowing his personality, Popovich is more than ready.

“No one is more excited about my return to the bench than the talented people who have guided my rehabilitation process,” Popovich said. “They quickly learned that I was untrainable.”

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