Two days after the San Antonio Spurs announced that Victor Wembanyama was out for the rest of the season, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Gregg Popovich won’t return this season either. The winningest coach in NBA history hasn’t been with the team since suffering a mild stroke at the beginning of November. Unlike the Wemby news, while this update may not have shocked many, it did surprise some.
It shouldn’t have.
To have followed Popovich since Wembanyama became the Spurs’ reality is to have seen this coming.
The impact of Victor Wembanyama’s arrival on Gregg Popovich
At the end of just about every season over the last decade or so, Popovich has been asked if he’s had plans to retire.
But in the spring of 2023, it seemed beyond wonder. Already 74 years old at the time and coming off a fourth consecutive losing season, “Pop” faced a long road back to success if the Spurs didn’t land Wemby in the NBA lottery.
They did, and a couple of weeks after the Silver and Black drafted the generational talent, Popovich signed a five-year contract extension.
Days later, Spurs legend Tony Parker revealed some surprise at his former coach’s commitment.
“Before we had the number one pick, I thought he was going to retire and come drink some wine with me on my vineyard,” Parker laughed. “But then we got the number one pick, so no, I’m not surprised that he wanted to stay and go through the process with Victor.”
Upon a follow-up asking if he truly thought that the Hall of Fame coach would’ve called it quits had San Antonio not lucked into the 7-foot-5 star from France, Parker, to a certain point, doubled down.
“I don’t know, you never know, but yeah, I think, you know, he’s won everything. So, it’s tough to stay motivated and stuff like that. But, once you get the number one pick, yeah, then I knew he was going to go nowhere.”
It’s not a bad assumption that #VictorWembanyama‘s arrival in #SanAntonio is a reason Pop is staying and just signed a new five-year deal.
But is #Wemby the only reason Pop is back?
Maybe says Tony Parker
Continuing #GoSpursGo coverage is at https://t.co/QnL837nDMT#PorVida pic.twitter.com/Wb6DgF9Rae
— Hector Ledesma (@HectorLedesmaTV) July 10, 2023
Pop signaled he’d return this season
In his first statement since suffering the mild stroke, Popovich stated, “No one is more excited to see me return to the bench than the talented individuals who have been leading my rehabilitation process.”
A little more than a month later, as the Spurs were in Paris, France, for a pair of Wembanyama homecoming games, the franchise’s CEO R.C. Buford shared that a Popovich return was imminent.
“He’s been improving weekly. We don’t know when he will be back, but he will be at some point.”
For virtually the entire season, San Antonio has hovered in or around the Play-in mark. At points through mid-January, they were among the top eight teams in the West.
Popovich rejoining the squad could’ve coincided with a postseason run.
The report on the heels of Wemby news
No Wemby. And now no Pop.
Charania’s report served as the first time there was any indication Popovich wouldn’t comeback this season. Since November, coaches and players alike talked about how he he’d been in contact with them.
All signs pointed to a Pop return.
That is, until the realization that the player who may have played a role in his return won’t be returning this season.
The post Why bummer of a Gregg Popovich update isn’t surprising appeared first on ClutchPoints.
