The San Antonio Spurs will be without head coach Gregg Popovich indefinitely after the long-time head coach recently suffered a health issue before Saturday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, according to Shams Charania.
At this time, there have been no details given on Popovich's health other than the team saying he missed their last game with an undisclosed illness. In his absence, Spurs assistant Mitch Johnson will assume the duties as head coach of the team. The Spurs have made it clear that Coach Pop will not travel with the team on their current road trip to Los Angeles and Phoenix.
Popovich, 75, has been the head coach of the Spurs for the last 28 years. Now in his 29th season with the organization, Popovich finds himself as the NBA's all-time leader in wins, and he has also brought San Antonio five championships during his tenure.
The legendary head coach is a franchise icon, and he has been at the forefront of ushering in a new era led by 2023 first-overall pick Victor Wembanyama.
So far this season, the Spurs have started things with a 3-3 record, picking up back-to-back victories over the likes of the Timberwolves and Utah Jazz. Their most recent win over Minnesota was the Spurs' best of the season early on, as they held Anthony Edwards and the Wolves to just 103 total points.
Overall, this was a great showing for San Antonio with Johnson leading them on the sidelines, which is why the organization is confident in the 37-year-old assistant to step up in Popovich's place.
“Mitch did a great job,” future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul said after Saturday's win, via San Antonio Express-News. “Things happen within this league all the time, and just like with players, it's ‘next man up.' So shout out to Mitch.”
This was the third time in his career that Johnson was asked to assume the lead role on the sidelines for the Spurs in place of Popovich, the first coming in 2021 when the legendary head coach attended Tim Duncan's Hall of Fame enshrinement. Johnson was also the acting head coach in March 2023 when Popovich was out with an illness.
Although Johnson will be the acting head coach for the Spurs, his record will officially count towards Popovich's record. The important factor is that the Spurs hold high regards for Johnson's abilities to lead them, and he has been the right-hand man for Popovich in recent years, which made this decision easy.
The Spurs will provide further details on Popovich's condition and when he could return to the sidelines at a later date.
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