Sources: Popovich not expected to return to Spurs this season - ESPN

San Antonio Spurs Hall of Fame coach Gregg Popovich is not expected to return this season, and his NBA future is uncertain as he recovers from a mild stroke suffered in November, league sources told ESPN's Shams Charania on Saturday.

The latest development provides some closure during what has turned into a difficult season for San Antonio, which Thursday announced plans to shut down franchise superstar Victor Wembanyama after he was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder.

«It is wild to think of the circumstances and the situations that we've been through as a team this year,» Spurs point guard Chris Paul said after Wembanyama's latest medical setback. «But I think you guys know when situations happen in your family, that, somehow, someway brings you closer.»

The NBA's winningest head coach with 1,390 regular-season victories and another 170 in the postseason with five championships, Popovich suffered on Nov. 2 what the team called a «mild stroke» ahead of a matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

San Antonio moved assistant Mitch Johnson into the head coaching role that night on an interim basis, and he has since posted a record of 21-27 in leading the young Spurs.

Popovich, who has coached the Spurs since the 1996-97 season, turned 76 in January and potentially leaves the game as the oldest coach in NBA history. In 2020, he passed the previous record held by Hubie Brown, who was 71 when he coached his final game with the Memphis Grizzlies.

When the club first named Johnson acting head coach, it did so with plans for Popovich to eventually return. Popovich even released a statement in December thanking the community, the Spurs organization and friends for their outpouring of support.

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