Longtime San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich will no longer serve as the head coach and instead transition into a role as the team president, ESPN's Shams Charania reported on Friday.
Popovich was sidelined since November after suffering a mild stroke. In February it was announced that he would not return to the team this season. And, now it looks like his 29-year tenure as head coach is over.
It sounds like it was ultimately Popovich's decision to step away from coaching at this point in his career. With his health issues, he decided that he "no longer could move forward with the taxing grind" of being a coach in the NBA, Charania reported.
BREAKING: Gregg Popovich will no longer be Head Coach of the San Antonio Spurs and is transitioning full-time to Team President, sources told ESPN. The iconic Popovich is a Basketball Hall of Famer, the NBA’s all-time winningest coach, and led the Spurs to five championships. pic.twitter.com/mbtUtpgA4V
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 2, 2025
Popovich confirmed the news with a statement through the Spurs.
"While my love and passion for the game remain, I've decided it's time to step away as head coach. 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."
Official, from the Spurs: pic.twitter.com/5eipbmdZjP
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) May 2, 2025
Even though Popovich hasn't been coaching from the sidelines much this season, he has remained a constant presence with the team. He helped interim coach Mitch Johnson advise the team through phone calls this season, and he was even at the Spurs' facility just this week.
Popovich did suffer another medical incident in mid-April as he was taken by ambulance from a San Antonio steakhouse after fainting at the establishment. He seems to be recovering well from the incident.
The 76-year-old has coached the Spurs since the 1996-97 season, so it will definitely be weird for San Antonio to have a new head coach lead the team next season. He ends his coaching career as the winningest coach in NBA history with 1,422 regular season wins. Popovich also won five NBA titles with the Spurs, which makes him just one of five coaches in NBA history to win at least five championships. He ranks third all-time on the playoff winning list.
Some of Popovich's other NBA accomplishments include him being named NBA Coach of the Year three times and him taking the Spurs to 22 consecutive playoffs from 1998-2019. He also coached the United States' men's basketball team for 2019 FIBA World Championships and the Tokyo Olympics, where the team won their fourth consecutive gold medal.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Gregg Popovich Stepping Down From Coaching, Remaining as Spurs President.
