SAN ANTONIO – After the announcement that Gregg Popovich will no longer serve as the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs, many took to social media to express their admiration and gratitude for his remarkable career.
The Spurs announced that Popovich will become the team’s newest president of basketball operations.
Popovich dedicated 29 seasons to coaching the Silver and Black, making him the only coach in NBA history to serve more than 25 years with one franchise, one of eight coaches to do that in all major U.S. sports leagues.
From Lil Wayne to Victor Wembanyama, take a look at celebrity reactions to the news:
“Thank you for your personality, your competitiveness and your dedication. It was an absolute honor to be a part of your 29 years head coach journey, and I know that you will keep inspiring everybody around you in this new adventure,” Wembanyama said, in part.
Congrats on the career Coach Pop!!
Flowers!! 💐 I’ve observed your approach to coaching and to the game and I applied the same approach to life at times and came out a winner every time. Thx Coach! I just might have to Popavich! Shut yo mouth. I’m just talmbout Pop!
— Lil Wayne WEEZY F (@LilTunechi) May 2, 2025
Shout out to Pop… hell of a coaching career! 💯
— Kevin Garnett (@KevinGarnett5KG) May 2, 2025
Gregg Popovich one of the greats..5 NBA championship rings..legendary run🐐
— Jaden Ivey (@JadensIV) May 2, 2025
“It was an honor to learn from your knowledge and your love of basketball,” former Spurs player Pau Gasol said in an X post.
KSAT spoke with Mayor Ron Nirenberg about Popovich’s departure at the Battle of Flowers Parade.
“Just gratitude for a lifetime of service to the San Antonio community and the entire world with his leadership,” Nirenberg said. “He’s always in our hearts, and I hope he continues to get on the mend and continues to be part of our lives for a long time to come.”
San Antonio Police Chief William McManus thanked Popovich for his generous help following McManus’ leg surgery a few years ago.
“He’s been great to me all the time. He let me rehab a couple of times at the Spurs facility when I had surgery on my leg, so thank you, Pop,” McManus said.
Popovich, 76, suffered a mild stroke on Nov. 2, 2024, just before the Spurs were set to host the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Frost Bank Center.
At the time, Popovich coached the team’s first five games of the 2024-25 regular season before Mitch Johnson took over as interim head coach.
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