Legendary coach Gregg Popovich not expected to return to Spurs this season

Gregg Popovich is not expected to return to the San Antonio Spurs‘ bench for the remainder of this season, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Saturday.

The Spurs head coach had a mild stroke on Nov. 2 at the team facility and has not coached since then. Interim coach Mitch Johnson, who’s a longtime Spurs assistant, has stepped up in Popovich’s absence. The Spurs are 24-30 and sit 12th in the Western Conference (21-27 under Johnson).

This news comes two days after franchise cornerstone Victor Wembanyama was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder, which will keep him out of for the remainder of the season.

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The Spurs had acquired star guard De’Aaron Fox from the Sacramento Kings just before the NBA trade deadline, hoping that the pairing of Fox and Wembanyama would propel them into their first playoff appearance since 2019.

Popovich, 76, has led the Spurs to five NBA championship victories across 28 seasons. While Popovich expressed a desire to return and is expected to make a full recovery, his future, according to the report, is uncertain.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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