After 29 years at the helm of the San Antonio Spurs, Greg Popovich has announced that he is stepping down as the head coach and transitioning to a full-time role as the president of basketball operations.
“While my love and passion for the game remain, I’ve decided it’s time to step away as head coach,” Popovich said in a statement posted by the Spurs. “I’m forever grateful to the wonderful players, coaches, staff and fans who allowed me to serve them as the Spurs head coach and am excited for the opportunity to continue to support the organization, community and city that are so meaningful to me.”
Popovich is the NBA’s all-time winningest coach (1,422 wins), bringing five championships to San Antonio. Most recently, in 2014, Kawhi Leonard led the squad to knock off Lebron James and the Miami Heat in five games.
Leonard, a two-time NBA Champion (2014, 2019), Finals MVP (2014, 2019), and Defensive Player of the Year (2015, 2016), is not the only superstar Popovich has coached over his tenured career.
He mentored David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Victor Wembanyama, among many others.
Salute to an absolute legend 🫡 pic.twitter.com/Mz2Q0nghSx
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 2, 2025
After the 76-year-old suffered a stroke in November of 2024, he stepped away from coaching in February when Mitch Johnson stepped into Popovich’s former role as the interim head coach and captured a 35-41 record.
Johnson will succeed Popovich and has been named the Spurs newest head coach.
