Gregg Popovich, one of the greatest coaches in NBA history, has been absent from the Spurs‘ sidelines since November.

In 2023, Popovich signed a five-year contract extension with San Antonio, the franchise he’s won five titles with. But during the early stages of the 2024-25 NBA season, Popovich stepped away from the Spurs to deal with a health issue.

Since then, San Antonio has had interim head coach Mitch Johnson in charge as Popovich focuses on his recovery.

Here’s the latest on Popovich’s health and potential return to the NBA.

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Will Gregg Popovich return in 2025?

Popovich, 76, suffered a mild stroke on Nov. 2. The Spurs released a statement at the time, detailing that the legendary coach was expected to make a full recovery but didn’t have a return timeline.

Since then, Johnson has taken over coaching duties for San Antonio. In November, Johnson said that Popovich “will be back.”

On Saturday, the first update on Popovich in some time was reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, who shared that Popovich is not expected to return to the NBA for the 2024-25 season. Charania also reported that Popovich’s NBA future is “uncertain.”

The Spurs, who also recently saw star center Victor Wembanyama ruled out for the remainder of the 2024-25 season, are expected to have Johnson in charge for the rest of the season. 

As the longest-tenured coach in the league, Popovich’s future as the Spurs’ head coach is unknown for the time being. 2024-25 marked his 28th season at the helm of San Antonio’s franchise. Popovich already ranks first all-time in wins by an NBA head coach with 1,412.

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