Gregg Popovich is stepping away from teaching, however will stay with the San Antonio Spurs as crew president, the franchise introduced Friday. The information comes after Popovich missed a lot of the 2024-25 NBA season after struggling a stroke in November. The Spurs legend is likely one of the biggest coaches in NBA historical past. In 29 seasons holding San Antonio’s high job, the 76-year-old Popovich gained an NBA report 1,422 regular-season video games. He’s a five-time NBA champion and six-time NBA finalist. Solely Phil Jackson and Pat Riley have gained extra playoff video games, and solely Jackson and Pink Auerbach have gained extra championships within the NBA. The Spurs are hiring Mitch Johnson — who stuffed in because the crew’s interim head coach for 77 video games this season — as their full-time head coach to interchange Popovich.

On Nov. 2, 2024, Popovich skilled a well being problem and instantly took a go away of absence. It was later revealed that Popovich had suffered a gentle stroke, and he in the end didn’t return to the bench this season. Johnson took over because the interim coach in his stead, however the Spurs reportedly allowed Popovich time and area to make his personal choice about his future. Now, regardless of a five-year extension he signed in 2023, one of many true icons of the teaching trade has ended his legendary profession on the sidelines.

“Whereas my love and keenness for the sport stay, I’ve determined it is time to step away as head coach,” Popovich stated in an announcement. “I am eternally grateful to the fantastic gamers, coaches, employees and followers who allowed me to serve them because the Spurs head coach and am excited for the chance to proceed to help the group, group and metropolis which are so significant to me.”

Popovich’s highway to the Corridor of Fame was pretty unorthodox even by teaching requirements. After taking part in for Air Drive and serving 5 years of lively responsibility with the Armed Forces Basketball Crew, Popovich started his teaching profession at his alma mater earlier than ultimately taking up as the top coach of Pomona-Pitzer, a school program in Southern California. He remained there for nearly a decade earlier than taking his first NBA jobs as an assistant coach, first with the Spurs, after which with the Golden State Warriors.

His return to the Spurs didn’t come as a coach, however fairly, as the overall supervisor in 1994. In 1996, nevertheless, he fired head coach Bob Hill and took the job himself. San Antonio struggled to 20-62 report with out star heart David Robinson, however gained the 1997 NBA Draft Lottery, picked Tim Duncan, and the remaining was historical past. Popovich gained his first NBA championship quickly after in 1999.

With Robinson ageing, although, he wanted to get inventive in how he constructed a long-term core round Duncan. To take action, he introduced the Spurs to the forefront of the worldwide basketball group by drafting Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili to function his backcourt. The Spurs would go on to usher in a number of different well-known worldwide gamers, together with, most lately, French super-prospect Victor Wembanyama, however none meant as a lot to Popovich as Parker and Ginobili. The trio of Parker, Ginobili and Duncan had been all collectively alongside Popovich for San Antonio’s subsequent 4 titles, and all 4 at the moment are within the Corridor of Fame.

“Coach Pop’s extraordinary impression on our household, San Antonio, the Spurs and the sport of basketball is profound,” Spurs chairman Peter Holt stated in an announcement. “His accolades and awards do not do justice to the impression he has had on so many individuals. He’s really one-of-one as an individual, chief and coach. Our total household, alongside followers from throughout the globe, are grateful for this exceptional 29-year run as the top coach of the San Antonio Spurs.”

Gregg Popovich by the numbers

Along with his historic NBA resume, the previous Air Drive standout represented his nation as the top coach for Crew USA within the 2019 FIBA World Cup and the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Whereas Crew USA completed in seventh within the World Cup, it got here again to win gold in Tokyo with a dramatic 87-82 victory over France. He was succeeded with Crew USA by his former backup level guard in San Antonio, Steve Kerr.

With Popovich stepping down, Johnson is formally taking up in San Antonio. The Spurs’ job would have been probably the most fascinating head teaching jobs within the NBA, however the crew and Popovich are trusting it to Johnson, who coached each Spurs sport since early November.

Johnson is the newest individual on the Popovich teaching tree to get a head teaching gig. 4 of the 29 different coaches to open this season with high jobs had been former assistants underneath Popovich in San Antonio: Mike Budenholzer, Ime Udoka, Mike Brown and Will Hardy. Two extra, Taylor Jenkins and Quin Snyder, had been the top coach of San Antonio’s G-League affiliate, the Austin Spurs (or, as they had been recognized on the time, the Austin Toros). Two extra, Doc Rivers and Steve Kerr, performed for Popovich in San Antonio, and of the 21 coaches we have not lined, 11 extra have in some unspecified time in the future labored as an assistant underneath a type of first eight. It is tougher to discover a crew whose teaching employees wasn’t influenced by Popovich in some vital method than ones that had been.