Report: Gregg Popovich rushed to hospital by ambulance amid medical emergency at restaurant

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich was rushed to a hospital on Tuesday after officials received a call for a man who had “fainted” while having dinner at a local restaurant, per TMZ. The outlet obtained video of the 76-year-old Popovich on a stretcher being placed into the back of an ambulance outside the San Antonio steakhouse.

#SanAntonioSpurs legend #GreggPopovich left a local restaurant in an ambulance Tuesday night … after officials say they responded to a call for an elderly person who had fainted, #TMZSports has learned. All we know about what happened: https://t.co/JoLq4otgjk pic.twitter.com/r51itgWEvg

— TMZ Sports (@TMZ_Sports) April 18, 2025

A source informed TMZ that Popovich was alert and talking by the time he entered the back of the vehicle. Popovich was reportedly at the restaurant for close to two hours before suffering the medical emergency.

Gregg Popovich sidelined after suffering mild stroke

Popovich was sidelined for a majority of the 2024-25 NBA season after suffering a mild stroke on Nov. 2nd. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported in February that Popovich would not return for the final two months of the season. Charania added, “his future is uncertain as he recovers from a mild stroke suffered in November.”

Popovich has been the Spurs’ head coach since 1996. He is the NBA’s all-time wins leader and a five-time NBA champion. For his efforts, he’s been named the NBA Coach of the Year three times and has been chosen to serve as a coach in the NBA All-Star Game four times.

Popovich was Team USA’s head coach in 2020, leading the United States to a Gold Medal. On July 8, 2023, Popovich signed a five-year contract extension, keeping him with the Spurs through the 2027–28 season. Last year, Popovich was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

With Popovich stepping away to focus on his health, assistant Mitch Johnson served as interim head coach this season. San Antonio finished 34-48, 13th in the Western Conference. The Spurs lost star center Victor Wembanyama for the season in mid-February due to deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder. The following month, All-Star guard De’Aaron Fox underwent season-ending surgery on his left pinkie finger to repair tendon damage.