Longtime Spurs HC Gregg Popovich ends coaching career

Gregg Popovich has stepped down as head coach of the Spurs and will become president of basketball operations on a full-time basis, the team announced in a press release.

Popovich is the winningest head coach in NBA history with 1,422 regular season victories, and he captured five championships during nearly three decades on San Antonio’s bench. He was named Coach of the Year three times and was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2023.

“While my love and passion for the game remain, I’ve decided it’s time to step away as head coach,” Popovich said. “I’m forever grateful to the wonderful players, coaches, staff and fans who allowed me to serve them as the Spurs head coach and am excited for the opportunity to continue to support the organization, community and city that are so meaningful to me.”

He was suffered a mild stroke in early November and never returned to the bench, with the team announcing in February that he was done for the season. Popovich made progress in his recovery and was able to meet with his players, but he had to be hospitalized again last month after a medical incident at a restaurant.

Popovich joined the organization in 1988 as an assistant coach and has been part of the Spurs’ front office since May of 1994. Sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN that Popovich has remained active in that role throughout his medical issues and “will continue to be a vital member of the franchise’s day-to-day operations.”

Charania’s sources add that Popovich had been in the team’s facility recently and still had a desire to return to coaching. Ultimately, he decided that the day-to-day grind of being a head coach would be too difficult.

“Coach Pop’s extraordinary impact on our family, San Antonio, the Spurs and the game of basketball is profound,” managing partner Peter J. Holt said in the Spurs’ press release. “His accolades and awards don’t do justice to the impact he has had on so many people. He is truly one-of-one as a person, leader and coach. Our entire family, alongside fans from across the globe, are grateful for his remarkable 29-year run as the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs.”