NBA Celebrates Spurs Gregg Popovich's Special Day

Popovich turned 76 on Tuesday. Typically, a birthday comes with blowing out candles and an entertaining party. However, considering Popovich's 2024-25 season journey, perhaps a good nap and a slice of cake will do. The NBA legend suffered a "mild" stroke sustained on Nov. 2, 2024. 

Spurs CEO R.C. Buford couldn't provide a timetable for Popovich's return. Buford spoke to The Athletic's Joe Vardon of Popvich's potential to emerge on the Spurs bench. 

"His improvement continues to get better, [but] I don't know that we have any way to judge the clock," Buford said. "Predicting what's to come is just a function of where Pop's rehab goes."

Frankly, Popovich earned his break from coaching the Spurs, albeit it's not exactly a vacation lifestyle he experiences after a stroke. Still, Popovich must rest, as he coached the Spurs through a dynasty run and earned a final stretch of success in the 2010s with Kawhi Leonard before the infamous ruining of what could have been.

More importantly, Popvoch endured four seasons of basketball irrelevance, a slap in the face for one of the best coaches in the sport's history. Popovich's guidance during international star Victor Wembanyama's rookie season helped the young center traverse the zany NBA world. 

While the NBA community misses Popovich, the Spurs' 20-23 record should help him sleep more than the team's previous seasons.