San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich is doing well at home after needing medical attention earlier this week following an incident at a restaurant, a person with knowledge of the matter told The Associated Press on Friday.
The 76-year-old Popovich, who missed most of this season while recovering from what the Spurs called a mild stroke, was at a restaurant in San Antonio on Tuesday night when he began not feeling well, said the person, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because neither Popovich nor the team released any details publicly.
TMZ Sports, which first reported the story, obtained video footage of what it said was Popovich being wheeled away from the restaurant on a stretcher and loaded into the back of an ambulance. TMZ said rescue officials were called by someone reporting that a person fainted in the restaurant.
Popovich had a stroke at the team’s arena in San Antonio on Nov. 2. Assistant coach Mitch Johnson took over as acting head coach that night and wound up coaching the team’s final 77 games of the season.
Popovich was in regular contact with Johnson and often in the facility, even addressing the team on at least one occasion in February. Popovich, at that time, said he hopes he can “return to coaching in the future.”
The Spurs have not given any indication if Popovich plans to be back in time for the start of next season. He is under contract with the team through the 2027-28 season.
Popovich is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, has led the Spurs to five NBA championships and guided USA Basketball to an Olympic gold medal at the Tokyo Games in 2021. He’s the all-time wins leader in NBA history and one of only three coaches to win the NBA coach of the year award three times, Don Nelson and Pat Riley being the others.
His tenure with the Spurs goes back to 1988 when he joined the club as an assistant coach. He left in 1992 and returned May 31, 1994, as executive vice president for basketball operations and general manager.
He fired Bob Hill and appointed himself coach on Dec. 10, 1996, holding that title ever since.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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