NEED TO KNOW
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Gregg Popovich made a rare public appearance at an Austin Spurs G League game in Texas on Friday, January 23.
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The legendary basketball coach suffered a “mild stroke” in November 2024 and was hospitalized again five months later
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The San Antonio Spurs announced in May 2025 that Popovich would become the team’s president of basketball operations.
Gregg Popovich was honored with a standing ovation during a rare public appearance at an NBA game.
On Friday, January 23, the 76-year-old former San Antonio Spurs coach visited the HEB Center in Cedar Park, Texas, to show his support for the Austin Spurs as they faced the Capital City Go-Go in a G League game, as seen in a video shared on social media.
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As the Hall of Fame coach walked the court with his stick in hand, fans rose from their seats to cheer and applaud him.
The rare public appearance comes almost a year after he was hospitalized after allegedly fainting in a restaurant.
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Gregg Popovich vs. the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center on March 28, 2022
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On April 15, 2025, Popovich was rushed to the hospital after officials received a call about a person who had “passed out” during dinner, TMZ Sports reported at the time. Footage from the day showed the football legend being placed in the back of an ambulance outside a steakhouse in San Antonio.
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Authorities told the outlet that the patient was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries or illnesses.
Just weeks later, the San Antonio Spurs announced on social media that the NBA’s all-time winningest coach would transition from the bench to a new role as the team’s president of basketball operations.
“While my love and passion for the game remain, I have decided it is time to step down as head coach,” Popovich said in a May 2 statement. “I will always be grateful to the wonderful players, coaches, staff and fans who allowed me to serve them as head coach of the Spurs and I am excited for the opportunity to continue supporting the organization, community and city that are so important to me.”
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Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs addresses the media at the San Antonio Spurs Media Day
Popovich, who won five NBA titles with the Spurs, was last seen in public at a news conference in May, while introducing Mitch Johnson as the team’s new head coach.
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Months before the role change, the San Antonio Spurs revealed that Popovich suffered a “mild stroke” in November 2024.
“The episode occurred on November 2 at the Frost Bank Center,” the team wrote on social media. “Popovich, who has already begun a rehabilitation program, is expected to make a full recovery.”
The following month, Popovich took a moment to thank everyone for their “great support” during his recovery.
“This has certainly been an unexpected six weeks for my family and I,” he wrote on
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