After almost 30 years with the Spurs
Basketball century coach stops
02.05.2025 – 8:08 p.m.Reading time: 2 min.
Gregg Popovich has changed the NBA as much as nobody else in the past three decades. Now the 76-year-old coaching legend is resigning.
Gregg Popovich was on the sidelines of the San Antonio Spurs for almost three decades. Now it is over: the 76-year-old ends his coaching career, but remains loyal to the club.
As the Spurs announced on Friday, Popovich will work as a team president in the future. His successor is also already fixed. Assistant coach Mitch Johnson takes over permanently.
Since 1996, Popovich has been at the top of the team continuously – as long as no other coach in the history of the NBA at a club. During this time he won all five championships with the Spurs: 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014.
With a total of 1,412 victories in the regular season and 170 in the play-offs, he leads the leaderboard of the NBA trainers. He also celebrated success internationally-including Olympic gold at the Games in Tokyo 2021.
In a message, Popovich said: “Although my love and passion for sport is unbroken, I decided to step down as head coach.” He was grateful to all people in the club and in the area of the Spurs forever – and is pleased to continue to support the organization.
Popovich had suffered a stroke last year. In mid -April there was another medical incident in a restaurant, whereupon he was taken to the hospital. He had not looked after the team since November 2.
In February, the coach had declared that he wanted to concentrate on his health – at that time with the desire to return at some point. Now he finally decided to withdraw from the sidelines