Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich has released his first public statement since he suffered what the team called a “mild stroke.” Credit: San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich suffered a “medical incident” on Tuesday night, according to an online post from ESPN’s NBA reporter, but is now “home, stable and doing fine.”

The 76-year-old coach, who missed the majority of the past season after suffering a mild stroke in November, had the incident at a restaurant, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweeted Friday afternoon. 

Separately, celebrity gossip site TMZ reported Popovich “fainted” Tuesday night while dining at a San Antonio steakhouse. The site said it had obtained video of the Hall of Fame coach being loaded into an ambulance around 8:20 p.m.

Spurs officials were unavailable for immediate comment on the reports.

However, without naming Popovich, San Antonio fire department officials told KSAT an emergency crew responded to a call at the Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse on Jones Maltsberger Road after a man fainted at a table. The crew took the man, who’s around 80, to the hospital as a precaution.

Popovich was in his 29th season coaching the Spurs when he suffered his stroke. He’s the NBA’s oldest and longest-tenured coach and led the Spurs to five league championships. 
Neither Pop nor the Spurs organization have said when he expects to return to coaching duties. Mitch Johnson, an assistant coach for the organization, has been at the helm in the interim.

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This article appears in Apr 16-29, 2025.

Sanford Nowlin is editor-in-chief of the San Antonio Current. He holds degrees from Trinity University and the University of Texas at San Antonio, and his work has been featured in Salon, Alternet, Creative...