Gregg Popovich will not travel for the San Antonio Spurs’ upcoming games against the LA Clippers and Houston Rockets, the team announced Monday, as the coach is dealing with an undisclosed illness.
The Spurs are expected to name assistant Mitch Johnson their interim coach for the near future in Popovich’s absence, according to ESPN, which reported that Popovich suffered a “health issue” ahead of Saturday’s win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. He missed that game with the illness and Johnson replaced him on the bench for the 113-103 victory.
Johnson told reporters he learned Popovich was unavailable about two and a half hours before Saturday’s game.
“He’s not feeling well,” Johnson said. “This has happened before. I think everybody’s just always got to be ready for the next man up. We’ve had it with injuries and sometimes people get sick or don’t feel well or things come up in life. He’s just not feeling well.”
Spurs guard Chris Paul, who scored 15 points and added 13 assists on Saturday, credited Johnson with doing a “great job” after the latest win, saying, “Things happen within this league all the time and just like with the players, it’s next man. So, shoutout to Mitch, he did a great job tonight.”
Popovich, 75, is in his 29th season with the Spurs. The five-time NBA champion coach leads the league with 1,391 regular-season wins.
The Spurs are 3-3 and travel to face the Clippers at 10:30 p.m. ET Monday and the Rockets at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday. They host the Portland Trail Blazers at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday.
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(Photo: Alonzo Adams / USA Today)
