Gregg Popovich will step down as Spurs head coach

Popovich will transition to a full-time role as the team’s president of basketball operations.

A historic NBA coaching career comes to a close today. San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich will step down, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. Popovich was the oldest and longest tenured coach in the NBA, filling the role since the 1996-1997 season. He steps down with the most regular-season wins in NBA history (1,422).

Popovich was away from the team for the majority of the 2024-25 season after suffering a mild stroke on November 2. Charania reports that the coach had been present at the Spurs’ facility recently, but concluded that he could not “move forward with the taxing grind of being an NBA head coach.” He reports that Popovich had been making steady progress from his stroke in November and another health scare in April.

Popovich will transition to a new role as the team’s full-time president of basketball operations. He leaves a major hole behind him. Popovich was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame in 2023. He won five NBA championships and is tied with Don Nelson and Pat Riley for the most NBA Coach of the Year awards, earning the honor three times. He ranks third in career playoff wins as a coach.

Not only will the Spurs be tasked with improving the roster in an attempt to make the playoffs for the first time in 6 seasons, but they’ll need to pick a coach to lead them. Mitch Johnson filled in for Popovich and had a 31-45 record as acting head coach. There are plenty of external options out there, with big names like Mike Malone and Taylor Jenkins looking for jobs. With Victor Wembanyama, De’Aaron Fox and plenty of assets to improve the roster, San Antonio’s head coaching gig will be one of the most sought-after positions this offseason.