MADRID 2 May (EUROPA PRESS) - San Antonio Spurs announced on Friday that Gregg Popovich will not return to the sidelines after almost three decades as head coach and will instead become the president of operations.
“The San Antonio Spurs announced today that Gregg Popovich will transition from head coach to president of basketball operations. In 29 seasons as the head coach of the Spurs, Popovich amassed 1422 regular-season victories, the most in NBA history. During his tenure, the Spurs won five NBA championships,” the Texan franchise announced.
In February, Popovich announced that he would not return to coach the Texas NBA team for the remainder of the season, focusing on his health in order to “be able to come back in the future.” The renowned American coach, 76 years old, suffered a mild stroke at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio on November 2nd.
“Although my love and passion for the game remain intact, I have decided that it is time to step down from my position as head coach. I am eternally grateful and excited for the opportunity to continue supporting the organization, the community, and the city that mean so much to me,” said the five-time NBA champion, three-time coach of the year, and Olympic gold medal-winning national team coach in 2021.