Sports Spotlight by Yahoo

Gregg Popovich has officially announced that he will not be coaching on the bench for the remainder of the season. He personally informed the Spurs players of his decision before releasing an official statement.

Popovich has been out since

suffering a mild stroke before a game on Nov. 2

. Thursday was the first time since then he has met with the Spurs players in person, an emotional meeting,

reports Shams Charania of ESPN.

Popovich confirmed to the players previous reporting he would not return this season, the released a statement saying the same thing.

pic.twitter.com/qFu4nyAjo0

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

Mitch Johnson has taken over as the interim head coach, a position he will now hold through the end of the season. The Spurs have gone 22-30 with Johnson at the helm and sit 13th in the West. With

Victor Wembanyama out for the remainder of the season

due to deep vein thrombosis in his shoulder, the Spurs are expected to miss the playoffs for a sixth straight season.

Popovich is a Hall of Famer, the NBA's all-time winningest coach, and a five-time NBA champion. He also coached Team USA to a gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics.