Shams: Popovich will not return to coach the Spurs this season

Gregg Popovich is not expected to return to coaching in the NBA this season, ESPN's Shams Charania reported Saturday.

Gregg Popovich, 76, has coached the San Antonio Spurs since 1996 and is the longest-serving head coach in the four major U.S. professional sports leagues. He led the Spurs to five NBA championships (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2014) and defended the gold medal with the U.S. men's basketball team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Popovich is also the coach with the most wins in NBA history. His current coaching record is 1,412 wins and 851 losses, with a winning rate of 62.4%.

However, Popovich has been recuperating at home since suffering a mild stroke in November last year. Spurs assistant coach Mitch Johnson was appointed as interim head coach and led the team to a record of 21 wins and 27 losses.

According to Shams Charania, citing people familiar with the matter, Popovich is currently recovering well, but his future remains uncertain. Spurs CEO R.C. Buford also said in January: "His recovery continues to improve, but we cannot accurately determine the specific time of recovery. The future direction depends entirely on Popovich's recovery progress."

Shams Charania added that Popovich has always maintained close contact with Wenban Yama, and Popovich has continued to pay attention to and guide Wenban Yama after Wenban Yama was ruled out for the season due to deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder.