The San Antonio Spurs have experienced an underwhelming start to the 2024-25 NBA season, only registering three victories in seven league games so far. While they have fared relatively well on the offensive front, Spurs have failed to hold their ground in most games, resulting in losses by narrow margins. However, their woes seem to be piling up as head coach Gregg Popovich now finds himself on the treatment table with a health issue. But, what actually happened to the veteran tactician?
Here are all the available details regarding Popovich’s latest ailment that restricted him from making an appearance on the court on Saturday.
What happened to Spurs’ coach Gregg Popovich?
At the time of writing, the exact nature of Popovich’s illness remains unknown.
The news of his medical condition was first published by ESPN’s Shams Charania via a post on his X (formerly Twitter) profile. According to Charania’s update, Gregg Popovich suffered an undetermined health issue prior to Spurs’ match-up on Saturday. As such, the 75-year-old coach remained absent from his side’s 113-103 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Due to Popovich’s condition, Spurs’ assistant Mitch Johnson took over the coaching responsibilities in the fixture. Johnson later disclosed that he was informed of this decision just an hour and a half before the commencement of Saturday’s game. He also shed light on the situation, providing further updates on Gregg Popovich’s state.
“He’s not feeling well. This has happened before. I think everybody’s just always got to be ready for the next man up. We’ve had it with injuries and sometimes people get sick or don’t feel well or things come up in life,” Johnson stated. (via New York Post)
A report by the San Antonio Express-News has since revealed that Gregg Popovich is in stable condition and “just needs rest.” Despite these claims, Mitch Johnson is currently expected to retain his post as the San Antonio Spurs’ interim coach for an indefinite period. The five-time NBA champions have confirmed that Popovich won’t accompany the team on their upcoming trip to face the Houston Rockets.
Notably, Johnson also previously took over temporarily in March 2023 after the latter missed out on his side’s clash against the Indiana Pacers due to medical reasons. The basketball icon incurred a similar period in November 2014, when he remained absent from several matches owing to treatments related to his heart.