San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich will be away from the team for an indefinite period while recovering from an undisclosed health issue.
Assistant coach Mitch Johnson will serve as the team’s interim head coach until the 75-year-old Basketball Hall of Famer returns.
“Right now, his health is the number one priority,” Johnson said Monday night before the Spurs’ game against the Los Angeles Clippers. “I talked to him last night. He’s in good spirits. He’ll be okay, is okay. And we can’t wait to have him back.”
Johnson said he was informed on Nov. 3 before the Spurs’ tipoff against the Minnesota Timberwolves that Popovich would be unable to serve the team due to an undisclosed illness. The Spurs defeated the Timberwolves 113–103 to move to 3–3 while the Timberwolves fell to 3–3.
When asked if the team suspected any health concerns prior to Popovich’s sudden absence, Johnson explained that it wasn’t the first time something like this had happened.
“He’s not feeling well. This has happened before. And I think everybody’s just always got to be ready for the next man up, right?” he said. “We’ve had it with injuries and sometimes people get sick or don’t feel well or things come up in life.”
This is the third time Johnson has served as interim head coach in Popovich’s absence. It is his ninth year in the Spurs organization. He started as an assistant for the Spurs G League team in Austin, Texas, before becoming one of Popovich’s assistants in 2019.
Meanwhile, Spurs guard Chris Paul said everybody on the team wants to give Popovich his space, noting he does not believe any players have talked to him.
“All the guys on our team, staff, everyone definitely miss him because he’s Pop … there’s a feeling when he’s in the room that just comforts everybody,” Paul said, adding everyone on the team is “excited to go out and hoop and play” because they know Popovich will be watching.
“So, that’s the thing that we want to try to focus on right now is going out there and playing. Because we know if we don’t defend, we know we are going to hear about it,” he added.
Popovich is the longest-tenured active coach in the NBA. He has been the Spurs’ head coach since 1996 and is currently in his 29th season. On July 8, 2023, he signed a five-year contract extension worth more than $80 million, keeping him under contract with the franchise through the 2027–2028 season.
The Indiana native is the NBA’s career leader with 1,390 victories and another 170 postseason wins while winning five NBA titles. In 2023, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for his efforts.
Additionally, he was named NBA Coach of the Year in 2003, 2012, and 2014. He has also been chosen to serve as head coach in the NBA All-Star Game in 2005, 2011, 2013, and 2016.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.