San Antonio Spurs

Former NBA guard Danny Green praised his former San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich following the announcement he will leave the sidelines and become the team's president of basketball operations, calling him the "GOAT" and thanking the five-time NBA champion for inspiring him and others.

Pop,

Where do I begin…I came into this league as a late 2nd round pick with a lot to prove and you welcomed me in and taught me how to be a pro on and off the court. 7+ seasons later, I’m so grateful for all the success, experiences, and memories we shared. pic.twitter.com/z0hrc0V6U3

— Danny Green (@DGreen_14) May 3, 2025

I owe so much of my career to you. After 29 years, your legacy as the greatest coach this game has ever seen is forever. You define what it means to be a winner. Beyond coaching, you cared deeply about every player, coach, colleague on a personal level. Thank you for inspiring us

— Danny Green (@DGreen_14) May 3, 2025

G. O. A. T. 🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐

— Danny Green (@DGreen_14) May 3, 2025

Green played on the Spurs for eight seasons from 2010-2018 and made the postseason every year with the team. He was a member of the 2014 Spurs team that defeated LeBron James and the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.

Green once enjoyed great success with San Antonio, perhaps nevermore than when he hit 27 three-pointers in the 2013 NBA Finals, setting a record for the championship series until it was broken by the Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry in 2016.

He's a three-time champion who was an integral and invaluable part of the Spurs' success throughout the 2010s, and he ended up with a 15-year NBA career. So his words hold tremendous weight as a legend of the game retires from the sidelines to the next chapter of his NBA life.

Green also spoke about his love for Popovich in an interview with CBS Sports, calling him a "great father figure" and a "perfectionist."

Of course, Green was one of many who expressed well-wishes to Popovich as he officially ended his coaching career, with examples including Kevin Garnett, Lil' Wayne and Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama.

And on Friday, both Warriors head coach Steve Kerr and forward Draymond Green spoke about how much Popovich meant to them as well.

Steve Kerr with a statement on Gregg Popovich’s retirement from coaching

“Pop’s gonna kill me for wearing this shirt. He’d call me a hapless rube.” pic.twitter.com/iE3Ez9MNoE

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) May 2, 2025

“I just wish I had one last time to go hug him on the sideline before a game.”

Draymond got emotional talking about Pop retiring from coaching 🙏 pic.twitter.com/GDcQpydUe8

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 3, 2025

Popovich, 76, leaves the sidelines as a five-time NBA champion and three-time NBA Coach of the Year. He also led Team USA men's basketball to gold at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Gregg Popovich's historic 29-year run as head coach of the San Antonio Spurs is over, he announced Friday.

The NBA's all-time coaching wins leader will transition into a new role as the team's president of basketball operations.

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

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

Interim head coach Mitch Johnson has been promoted to take over the head coaching job full-time. Longtime NBA insider Marc Stein first reported that Johnson was expected to take over for Popovich.

Popovich concluded that he "no longer could move forward with the taxing grind of being an NBA head coach" after he missed a majority of the 2024-25 season due to health issues, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

The Spurs announced in mid-November that Popovich suffered a mild stroke on Nov. 2 while he was at Frost Bank Center hours before their scheduled game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

At the time, general manager Brian Wright said Popovich was "doing well." The team said he had already started a rehabilitation program, but there was no timetable for him to return to the bench.

Popovich said in a statement released on Feb. 27 that he would miss the remainder of the season to continue to "focus on my health with the hope that I can return to coaching in the future."

pic.twitter.com/qFu4nyAjo0

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) February 27, 2025

Johnson, who has been an assistant on Popovich's staff since 2019, went 32-45 in 77 games as interim head coach this season. He had no previous head-coaching experience, but he has worked as an assistant since 2015-16 when he was hired by the University of Portland.

The Spurs brought in Johnson as an assistant for their G League affiliate starting with the 2016-17 season.

In a March 18 story about Popovich and the Spurs' future by ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Michael C. Wright, one person close to the situation said it would be "Pop's decision" if he wanted to continue coaching.

TMZ Sports reported on April 18 that Popovich required medical attention after he "fainted" at a restaurant in San Antonio, and he was transported by ambulance to a local hospital with a "non-life-threatening injury or illness."

Popovich is one of the most successful head coaches in NBA history. His 1,422 career wins are the most all-time, and his .621 winning percentage is the fourth-best among coaches with at least 1,000 games of experience.

Thank you, Coach Pop, for your brilliance on and off the court. We look forward to our next chapter together. pic.twitter.com/4x6AFpSmQM

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

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver issued the following statement today regarding Gregg Popovich: pic.twitter.com/9I6Bq04Viq

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 2, 2025

The Spurs originally hired Popovich as an assistant on Larry Brown's staff before the 1988-89 season. He remained with the club for four seasons, then had a two-year stint as an assistant with the Golden State Warriors.

Popovich returned to San Antonio in 1994 originally as general manager and vice president of basketball operations. He took over as head coach early in the 1996-97 season after Bob Hill was fired following a 3-15 start.

Starting with Popovich's first full season in 1997-98, the Spurs began a run of 22 consecutive years with a winning record and making the playoffs. It's tied for the longest playoff streak in NBA history with the Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers from 1950 to '71.

That streak includes five NBA titles in six Finals appearances. Popovich's five championships are tied with Pat Riley and John Kundla for the third-most by a head coach in league history.

After spending the second half of the 2024-25 season with the San Antonio Spurs, De'Aaron Fox is hoping to stick around long-term.

Per ESPN's Michael C. Wright, Fox said he hopes to sign a contract extension with the Spurs this offseason following his trade to San Antonio from the Sacramento Kings in February.

De'Aaron Fox said "yeah, I hope so," when asked whether he'd be signing an extension in San Antonio this summer.

— Michael C. Wright (@mikecwright) April 13, 2025

Fox is currently in the fourth year of a five-year, $163 million contract he signed with the Kings, so he'll still be contractually tied to the Spurs for another season even if he doesn't get an extension this offseason.

Before the 2024-25 season, Fox declined a three-year, $165 million maximum extension in hopes of getting a bigger deal in the offseason. Now, the decision to bypass that extension could pay off.

In February, ESPN's Brian Windhorst said he "expects" Fox to sign a "big" extension with San Antonio this offseason, adding that "it was pretty much understood that was the way it was going to go."

According to ESPN's Bobby Marks, Fox is eligible for a four-year, $229 million extension this offseason, a significant raise from what his extension would have been had he signed last offseason.

Securing Fox's future would be huge for San Antonio. The Spurs were seemingly already on their way to a bright future thanks to Victor Wembanyama, but the addition of a star point guard like Fox raises the ceiling for what is possible for San Antonio over the next few years.

Fox, still only 27 years old, put up 23.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game before suffering a season-ending finger injury in March. Wembanyama averaged 24.3 points, 11 rebounds and 3.8 blocks per game before his season ended in February because of deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder.

With the Spurs' season coming to an end on Sunday, the focus now shifts to the offseason, where Fox will look to work out an extension with San Antonio and attack the 2025-26 season strong.

Veteran point guard Chris Paul added another impressive feat to his long list of accolades.

By starting for the San Antonio Spurs in Sunday's regular-season finale against the Toronto Raptors, Paul became the first player in NBA history to start all 82 games in his 20th year in the league.

Chris Paul is the first player in NBA history to start every game in year 20 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/qxZBCv3dUd

— House of Highlights (@HoHighlights) April 13, 2025

Paul is one of 11 players to play all 82 games this season:

The 82 game club

Chris Paul
Jalen Green
Mikal Bridges
Jarrett Allen
Harrison Barnes
Jaden McDaniels
Julian Champagnie
Bub Carrington
Nickeil Alexander-Walker
Malik Beasley
Buddy Hield

— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) April 13, 2025

Paul has started 82 games just one other time in his career, in 2014-15 when he was with the Los Angeles Clippers. The 39-year-old is in his first year with a young San Antonio team, and he was a model of consistency amid a tumultuous year.

The Spurs had to endure the loss of star center Victor Wembanyama, who was ruled out for the season after 46 games due to the discovery of deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder. He was averaging 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 3.8 blocks in his sophomore season before being sidelined.

Legendary head coach Gregg Popovich suffered a mild stroke in November and has been away from the team for most of the season. Still, the team carried a 33-48 record into Sunday's season finale, a slight improvement from the 22-60 finish to the 2023-24 campaign.

Paul's accomplishment gives San Antonio something to celebrate. The longtime floor general leads the team with an average of 7.4 assists while also adding 8.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. While this won't be the year that he earns the NBA championship that has eluded him throughout his career, he still should be proud that he provided leadership and consistency to a young squad.

San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle is confident that he'll be named the 2024-25 NBA Rookie of the Year.

“I feel like, at this point, I pretty much got it locked up," Castle said, via Paul Garcia of TheSpotUpShot.com. "I mean really just continuing to be myself, not really think about it when I’m in the game. Just game by game, I feel like I’m more confident to be able to say that I am it.”

Castle's scoring average of 14.5 points per game ranks first among qualified rookies this season, while his 3.9 assists per game are the fourth-most among all first-year players.

He's also averaging 3.6 rebounds and 0.9 steals per game, shooting 42.4 percent from the field and 28.3 percent from behind the arc.

STEPHON. CASTLE. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/3Xv1R7PU5C

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) March 30, 2025

The Spurs selected Castle with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft, expecting him to operate in a complementary role alongside star center Victor Wembanyama. While both players developed chemistry together on the floor, Wembanyama was ruled out for the season on Feb. 20 due to a blood clot in his right shoulder.

CASTLE OFF THE BACKBOARD TO WEMBY 🫨 pic.twitter.com/eybZwbSvCE

— NBA (@NBA) February 4, 2025

Although San Antonio has gone only 9-17 record the All-Star was ruled out, Castle's late-season play has been a silver lining.

In 26 games since Wembanyama made his final appearance of the 2024-25 season, Castle has recorded 17.6 points and 4.7 assists on a nightly basis while shooting 43.2 percent from the field.

The 2024-25 Rookie of the Year race also features standouts such as Atlanta Hawks wing Zaccharie Risacher, Washington Wizards forward Alex Sarr and Memphis Grizzlies center Zach Edey.

Castle believes that he'll be taking home some hardware after his first year in the Association comes to an end, though.

Chris Paul believes he could continue his NBA career beyond the 2024-25 season.

The San Antonio Spurs guard is nearing his 40th birthday and in his 20th NBA season. While he could ride off into the sunset following this season, he expressed that his desire to "keep playing" and that it will depend on how his "body feels."

“I’ll be 40 in May. So, yeah man, I’m going to keep playing, I think,” Paul said, per Marc J. Spears of Andscape. “At the end of every season, I evaluate everything. Evaluate playing. Evaluate how my body feels. But the more years that go by, it’s more conversations with my family, with my kids. They have a lot of say so. They got a lot of input."

He also noted that some of his retired friends have advised him to keep playing.

“Obviously, I got a lot of homies, friends that have retired or whatnot. And they are always like, ‘Man, play as long as you possibly can,'" Paul said, per Spears. "'Play as long as you possibly can.’ And I appreciate that. But I also, I just always want to talk to my kids about it because that’s the most important job that I have. I love to play. I definitely love my kids and my family more than I like to play. Anybody who’s in this knows the sacrifice could goes longer. I said this summer I will evaluate it and talk to my family about it.”

Paul joined the Spurs ahead of the 2024-25 season and has averaged 8.8 points, 7.6 assists and 3.6 rebounds in 76 games. San Antonio is his seventh franchise and he will hit unrestricted free agency following the season.

He could choose to re-sign with San Antonio and play a role in developing young stars Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle. The Spurs are currently 32-44 and are positioned to miss the postseason for the sixth consecutive season.

While Wembanyama's return from injury could catapult the Spurs to playoff contention, Paul's hopes at the elusive NBA title probably won't come to fruition in San Antonio in 2025-26. If he were after a title, he may have to settle for less money and a lesser role with a contending team.

De'Aaron Fox was a member of the San Antonio Spurs for more than three weeks before he had his first in-person meeting with new head coach Gregg Popovich because the Hall of Famer has been away from the team since November after suffering a stroke.

On Feb. 27, ESPN's Shams Charania reported Popovich held "an emotional in-person meeting" with all Spurs players.

In a new story about the 76-year-old coach's recovery and quest to get back on the sidelines, Fox told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Michael C. Wright the meeting was "much bigger than basketball" because it's about someone's life:

"It's an inspiration. Going through the things that he's going through, and him trying to fight back just to be out there. It is a testament to who he is as a person and you can tell that he really wants to be back out there. ... It would go from serious to laughing back to serious and laughing. But he knows how to keep people engaged, and I think that's why he's been able to do what he does for so long. Obviously, we want him to be as healthy as possible. But I would love to be coached by Pop, for sure."

Popovich announced at the meeting he would not be returning to coach the Spurs this season, but he would continue to focus on his rehab with the goal of being back on the sidelines for the 2025-26 season.

pic.twitter.com/qFu4nyAjo0

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) February 27, 2025

Fox's sentiment was one shared by other Spurs players. Keldon Johnson described Popovich as still coaching them even as he continues to recover:

"Everybody shut the f--k up when he walked in. That's just how it's always been with Pop. Obviously, he's still recovering. But he was still cussing. 'Y'all need to play defense. Y'all need to rebound.' Knowing that, s---, he really is watching the games because he's calling out specific situations, was huge. It was what we needed. I feel like he brought that life, that spark. That Pop that we all knew and loved. He came into that meeting and that's who he was. It was like he didn't skip a beat."

Shelburne and Wright did note Popovich cautioned that he might not return because he would be doing the organization a disservice if he was at less than 100 percent.

Fox and Popovich crossed paths many times in the past since the Kentucky product entered the NBA after being selected with the No. 5 pick in the 2017 draft, but they had been on opposing sides for eight years.

The Spurs acquired Fox from the Sacramento Kings in a three-team trade on Feb. 3. His preference was to join San Antonio even before the deal came together for the opportunity to play alongside Victor Wembanyama.

Things have fallen apart for the Spurs since the trade, though. Wembanyama was ruled out for the season on Feb. 20 due to a blood clot in his right shoulder. The team is optimistic about his long-term prognosis and readiness for next season.

Fox is set to undergo season-ending surgery to repair a tendon in his left finger.

Even though this season is ending on a down note for the Spurs, their future looks incredibly bright with the tandem of Fox and Wembanyama playing together.

If Popovich is able to return to work with that duo, it only increases the optimism for the Spurs going into next season.

The San Antonio Spurs' injury woes have continued, and guard De'Aaron Fox will reportedly miss the rest of the 2024-25 campaign.

ESPN's Shams Charania reported Thursday that Fox will undergo surgery for tendon damage in his left pinkie on Tuesday and miss the rest of this season.

San Antonio is already without star big man Victor Wembanyama because of deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder. Wembanyama is also expected to miss the rest of the season.

The Spurs made a big splash ahead of the February trade deadline when they landed Fox in a deal with the Sacramento Kings. It seemed to put them in position to challenge for a spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament with an elite one-two punch.

Instead, both stars will be sidelined until 2025-26.

Fox has appeared in 17 games for San Antonio since the deal and averaged 19.7 points, 6.8 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals while shooting 44.6 percent from the field and 27.4 percent from deep.

The numbers aren't as impressive as when he averaged 25.0 points and 6.1 assists in his first 45 games of the campaign for the Kings, but he was also growing accustomed to playing on a new team with new teammates.

Fox's future with the Spurs will also be a talking point considering the 2025-26 season is the final one on his current deal. This injury surely won't prevent the front office from signing him to an extension, but it is notable that the next time he will be on the floor could be in the final year of his contract.

As for this season's Spurs, they are 4.5 games behind the Dallas Mavericks for the final spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament. The Phoenix Suns are also two games ahead of San Antonio.

Being without Fox and Wembanyama for the rest of the season means San Antonio will likely have to wait for next season to have a realistic chance at postseason play.

Gregg Popovich has confirmed he won't return to coach the San Antonio Spurs this season.

Per NBA insider Chris Haynes, Popovich addressed the team on Thursday for the first time since suffering a stroke in November to inform the players he would miss the remainder of the season.

Popovich issued a statement via the Spurs announcing he will sit out the rest of this season while focusing on his recovery "with the hope that I can return to coaching in the future."

pic.twitter.com/qFu4nyAjo0

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) February 27, 2025

The Spurs originally announced on Nov. 2 that Popovich would miss their game against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to an undisclosed illness. They later revealed on Nov. 13 that he suffered a "mild stroke," but he was expected to make a full recovery.

In a statement released by the Spurs on Dec. 16, Popovich expressed gratitude for the support he and his family have received and he was looking forward to returning to the bench but offered no timetable.

pic.twitter.com/SANMwklGjV

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) December 16, 2024

ESPN's Shams Charania reported on Feb. 22 that Popovich was expected to miss the remainder of this season and his long-term future was "uncertain" as he continues to recover.

Haynes didn't note if Popovich said anything about returning to coaching next season.

Mitch Johnson, who has been a coach in the Spurs organization since 2016 and has been on Popovich's staff since 2019, has served as interim head coach since Nov. 2.

Popovich has been head coach of the Spurs since December 1996 when he replaced Bob Hill. He is the all-time leader in wins among NBA coaches with 1,412 in his legendary career.

The 76-year-old Popovich is also the longest-tenured head coach in NBA history at 29 seasons. Among active coaches, Erik Spoelstra ranks second in his 17th season with the Miami Heat.

San Antonio (24-33) has 25 games remaining in the 2024-25 regular season. The Spurs are 5.5 games behind the Sacramento Kings for the final spot in the play-in tournament in the Western Conference.