After 29 Seasons as a Coach, Gregg Popovich Retires

After leading the San Antonio Spurs to five NBA titles, becoming the league’s all-time victories leader, and being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, Gregg Popovich announced his resignation as coach on Friday.

Popovich stated: “While my love and passion for the game remain, I’ve decided it’s time to step away as head coach,” “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,”

Coach Pop transitions to Spurs President of Basketball Operations pic.twitter.com/q8HwqDTB53

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) May 2, 2025

He’ll take over as team president. The team’s new coach is Mitch Johnson, a Spurs assistant who replaced Popovich for the final 77 games of the season.

Gregg Popovich and his eternal NBA Career

After suffering a stroke at the team’s arena on November 2, Popovich, 76, missed all but five of this season’s games. He published a statement in late March and spoke to his squad at least once, but he hasn’t spoken in public since.

Popovich finished his career with a record of 1,422-869, which does include the 77 games he coached this season (32 wins and 45 losses). In addition, he won 170 postseason games with the Spurs, which was the most of any coach with a single franchise and the third-most overall, only surpassed by Pat Riley’s 171 and Phil Jackson’s 229.

In addition to leading the United States to a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics and coaching six Hall of Famers in San Antonio—David Robinson, Ginobili, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Dominique Wilkins, and Pau Gasol—Popovich was named NBA Coach of the Year three times. Throughout his NBA career, he faced 170 different coaches, and during the Popovich period, the league saw 303 coaching changes.

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