Legendary San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich reportedly needed to be transported to a local hospital after fainting at a restaurant on Tuesday.
Sports fans are used to seeing injuries that end their seasons early. However, Spurs fans saw their iconic head coach forced away from the sidelines in November after he suffered a mild stroke. While the hope was that he could return to the sidelines next season, it seems the 76-year-old has still not fully recovered five months later.
TMZ Sports broke the news on Friday that “San Antonio Spurs legend Gregg Popovich left a local restaurant in an ambulance Tuesday night … after officials say they received a call for an elderly person who had ‘fainted’ while eating dinner.”
Sources told the outlet that the NBA legend seemed to still be dealing with the effects of his November stroke. However, he was allegedly at the San Antonio restaurant for close to two hours before emergency vehicles were called to remove him from the premises via a stretcher. The situation adds fuel to speculation that the organization may have to force him to retire for his own good soon.
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Could latest health scare bring an end to Gregg Popovich’s San Antonio Spurs tenure?
Popovich, AKA “Pop” will go down as one of the greatest NBA coaches of all time. He holds the record for most wins at 1,390, and also has 170 in the postseason. Over his 28 seasons in San Antonio, he led the franchise to five NBA titles, and he also holds the record as the oldest coach in league history.
Being a head coach at the highest level of the sport can be very stressful. While he has always been in good shape, at 76 years old, he is pushing the limits of his health. Thus far, he and the organization have been vague on their future together. Likely hoping that Popovich can bounce back and return to the sideline for, at least, one more season.
However, with his recovery from his stroke going slowly, the organization needs to seriously consider asking him to step down for his own health. Furthermore, it will likely happen because the head coach market this offseason is very strong. Recent NBA title winners Mike Budenholzer and Michael Malone are both now available, as well as former Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins.
For the betterment of Popovich and the team, it may be the perfect time to end their legendary relationship.
