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San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich reportedly suffered a mild stroke earlier this month, which led to his recent absence from the team, ESPN's Shams Charania reported on Wednesday (November 13).
"San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich suffered a mild stroke on Nov. 2. He is expected to make a full recovery and a timeline for return has not been determined," Charania wrote on his X account.
Charania had previously reported that Popovich, 75, suffered an undisclosed health issue prior to being absent for the Spurs' 113-103 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves on November 2. Assistant coach Mitch Johnson has filled in as the interim with a 3-3 in the six games Popovich has missed.
The Spurs confirmed that Popovich didn't travel with the team for road games against the Los Angeles Clippers and Houston Rockets after his sudden absence on November 2 prior to Charania's earlier report. Popovich is the NBA's all-time winningest coach with 1,390 regular-season victories and 170 postseason wins, as well as five NBA championships, all of which have come during his 29-year tenure with the Spurs.
San Antonio is currently 5-6 through its first 11 games of the 2024-25 NBA season and 12th in the Western Conference, winning two of its last three games, including a 116-96 win against the Sacramento Kings on Monday (November 11).