Report: Gregg Popovich suffered health issue, out indefinitely

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich suffered an undisclosed health issue before the team’s game on Saturday, per ESPN’s Shams Charania. Assistant coach Mitch Johnson is expected to serve as the Spurs’ interim head coach in Popovich’s absence.

Johnson was reportedly informed that Popovich wasn’t feeling well about 2 1/2 hours before the Spurs tipped off against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday. Johnson said this isn’t the first time something like this has happened.

“He’s not feeling well,” Johnson said. “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. He’s just not feeling well.”

Johnson led the Spurs to a 113-103 victory over the Timberwolves but the team undoubtedly missed Popovich’s presence on the sideline. After all, it’s impossible to replace the 75-year-old NBA legend.

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.

Last year, Popovich was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

“There are so many people out there like me, whose lives have been impacted so dramatically and so positively by Pop,” Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said. “You can take all the accomplishments, the championships, the wins and everything else, and it’s all meaningful. But it doesn’t come close to the meaning of his relationships that he’s built around the league and what he’s meant to so many of us.

“So, he’s one of the most influential people ever in my life and I owe him so much. He’s a Hall of Famer and I’m thrilled for him. It’s a no-brainer. He was a Hall of Famer a long time ago.”

Additionally, Gregg Popovich was Team USA’s head coach in 2020, leading the United States to a Gold Medal. Despite his age, Popovich hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down. On July 8, 2023, Popovich signed a five-year contract extension, keeping him with the Spurs through the 2027–28 season.