By San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said Thursday he will not return to the bench this season as he continues to recuperate from a stroke he suffered in November, according to a statement released by the team.
The announcement came after Spurs players and staff got to see their beloved head coach in person Thursday morning for the first time since his stroke, a league source told CNN. ESPN’s NBA insider Shams Charania reported the meeting was “emotional,” according to unnamed sources.
“I’ve decided not to return to the sidelines this season,” Popovich said in a statement, confirming a Charania report from Saturday.
The NBA’s all-time winningest coach credited his assistant coach and others for managing the team since the incident on November 2 at Frost Bank Center.
“Mitch Johnson and his staff have done a wonderful job and the resolve and professionalism the players have shown, sticking together during a challenging season, has been outstanding,” he stated.
The oldest coach in the NBA at 76, Popovich said he hoped to make a comeback.
“I will continue to focus on my health with the hope that I can return to coaching in the future.”
CNN has reached out to the Spurs for comment on how players and coaches reacted to the meeting with Popovich.
The team has previously said the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer was expected to make a full recovery.
In a statement released in December last year, Popovich expressed his desire to return to coaching while showcasing his famed wry sense of humor.
“No one is more excited to see me return to the bench than the talented individuals who have been leading my rehabilitation process,” he said. “They’ve quickly learned that I’m less than coachable.”
Johnson has led the team to a 22-30 record in Popovich’s absence. The Spurs are currently in 13th place in the Western Conference, having lost four of the team’s last five games without star center Victor Wembanyama.
The 21-year-old has been diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis, a form of a blood clot, in his right shoulder and is set to miss the rest of the NBA season.
Popovich became the Spurs head coach on December 10, 1996, and was in his 29th season at the helm in San Antonio.
He has 1,412 regular season victories to his name, an NBA record. He has also won 170 postseason games, five NBA championships and is one of only three coaches to win the NBA Coach of the Year award three times, alongside Don Nelson and Pat Riley.
