The San Antonio Spurs are riding the momentum of Victor Wembanyama’s three-point surge, the possibility of perennial playoff contention so close that they can taste it. Pegged to be the next face of the franchise, if not the NBA, the 2023 No. 1 pick has already had a 5×5 and 50-point game less less than a fifth of the way through the 2024-25 season. Who wouldn’t be prepared to put their hopes in a player so talented?
Sadly, while Wembanyama’s franchise-altering talent has captivated fans and given the organization confidence in the direction they’re headed, there’s another change that’s taking place that’s not comforting at all.
Has Gregg Popovich Coached The Spurs For The Last Season?
On Nov. 2, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich suffered a mild stroke. Though he’s expected to make a full recovery, he’s been ruled out indefinitely. This is where it gets cloudy for San Antonio.
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) November 13, 2024
At 75 years old, Popovich isn’t just the oldest coach in the NBA right now but all-time. This is awe-inspiring in and of itself, but his accomplishments paint an even more extraordinary picture.
Popovich has been the Spurs’ head coach since 1996-97, winning five championships and 1,564 games (playoffs included) in that time. He’s the league’s all-time leader in wins and one of just five coaches to have won at least five titles. Though the Spurs’ understated personalities have prevented them from achieving the popularity of some other dominant team, they’ve been a paragon of excellence. Even at their worst, their principles have allowed them to be seen as the golden standard.
The talent of their star players allows them to execute, but Popovich has been the mastermind behind it all. That’s what makes it so hard to say that 2024-25 should be his last season as the Spurs’ head coach.
Did Victor Wembanyama Change The Plan?
There was a time that Popovich has looked like he was ready to pass the torch.
Becky Hammon was presumed to be the heir to the throne, which would have made her the first female NBA head coach. However, she left to become the Las Vegas Aces head coach in 2021. It takes time to mold a new protege though, so Popovich wasn’t expected to have one so soon after her departure.
Still, in 2023, his contract was set to expire. This presumably gave the Spurs two seasons to figure out which direction they would be headed.
At the time, Spurs interim head coach Mitch Johnson was in his second season as the Spurs assistant coach. A four-year player at Stanford, he became part of the Spurs’ farm system in 2016 when their G League affiliate hired him in an assistant role.
The big name on the bench was Brett Brown. San Antonio had notably hired Brown in 2022, the year before Popovich’s deal was set to expire. Head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers for seven seasons, his experience and success made him an ideal candidate to replace Popovich from the outside looking in.
Perhaps if they hadn’t landed Wembanyama, things might be different. Yet, a couple of weeks after they drafted the French phenom, Popovich re-upped with the Spurs for five years. The length of the deal would take him through most of Wembanyama’s formative years, his success with David Robinson and Tim Duncan making this an important experience.
By the time Wembanyama won Rookie of the Year in a landslide victory, the sky wasn’t even a limit anymore.
It’s Time To Give Up The Coaching Reins
It’s a tragedy that Popovich won’t be able to see it through.
How he handles the rest of the season is between him, his doctors, and the people he trusts. However, his health is more important than anything basketball-related. There’s just no need to rush him back to the sideline. For his own sake, it would be best for him to hand over the reins to Johnson (or Brown) by or at the end of the season.
He doesn’t have to walk away from the Spurs completely. After all, he’s also the franchise’s president. Nonetheless, moving to the front office full-time would probably be best for his health. To that point, there’s an established relationship between stress and strokes, and coaching can get extremely stressful.
Still, everyone will want to give Popovich an appropriate send-off.
‘Coach Pop’ is beloved for his candor, humility, and moral fiber as much as anything he’s accomplished in basketball. A true leader and teacher, he’s a living legend and should be honored as such. Even if he’s coaching for just one more game, he deserves to get his flowers in what might be his favorite place on Earth.
When asked about the Lakers’ NBA Cup group play starting against San Antonio on Friday, LeBron James says he hasn’t considered the competition yet, rather keeping his thoughts with his “dear friend Coach Pop” pic.twitter.com/Zj9Rl1PA8Q
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) November 14, 2024
The Spurs’ final home game is the last game of their regular season, which takes place April 13.
