Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs? You can’t mention one without the other. Back in 1996, he stepped in as interim head coach, and by his second full season, he had already delivered the franchise’s first championship. That title run in ‘99 was just the beginning. Over the next 15 years, the Spurs turned into an unstoppable force, racking up five NBA titles and dominating an entire era of basketball.

Pop wasn’t just coaching—he was molding players one after the other. He coached Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Kawhi Leonard, molding them into a machine that played some of the smoothest, most selfless basketball the league has ever seen. And he was well on his way to molding the NBA’s next superstar Victor Wembanyama

However, Gregg Popovich might not return to the Spurs this season after suffering a mild stroke, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. What happens next is still up in the air. At 76, Pop is the oldest coach in the league, and with San Antonio shifting gears toward a youth movement built around Wemby, this could mark a significant turn in the team’s direction.

But the veteran coach isn’t leaving without sharing his wisdom with the French phenom. Shams Charania reported that Popovich and Wembanyama have been in constant contact since the diagnosis. They’ve been talking often, with Popovich staying heavily involved despite everything that’s happened this week.

If you haven’t heard, the Spurs reported that the 7-feet-3 center will miss the rest of the season. He was the top pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Medical professionals diagnosed the 21-year-old with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder. The Spurs announced that they detected the condition.

They found it after Wembanyama returned to San Antonio from the All-Star Game in San Francisco. Deep vein thrombosis happens when blood thickens and forms clots inside a vessel, which can be dangerous if left untreated.

Will history repeat itself, but this without Gregg Popovich?

Remember the old days when the 1996-97 Spurs were struggling hard—like a bad ’90s sports flick you just couldn’t stop watching. David Robinson missed the first 18 games recovering from a back injury, and the team sputtered to a 2-13 start. They fired head coach Bob Hill after those 18 games and brought in Gregg Popovich, but things didn’t get much better. Robinson returned only to break his foot after six games, and the Spurs finished 20-62.

Even though the Vancouver Grizzlies finished even worse at 14-68, they couldn’t snag the top draft pick because of their expansion status. Instead, the Celtics, at 15-67 with two lottery picks, looked primed for the No. 1 selection. But in a twist of fate, San Antonio—holding the third-best odds—won the lottery and landed Tim Duncan, a move that would later launch their dynasty.

Fast forward to 2025, and we’ve got a modern-day drama. Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs’ rising star, now faces a major setback: he’s been diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder and will miss the rest of the season. With the team sitting at 23-29 and near the bottom of the West, their odds for a top pick are slim—just 3% for the No. 1 and 13.9% for a top-four selection.

Sure, it stings for fans, but maybe this injury will actually boost their draft lottery chances. Imagine Wemby coming back next season with fresh talent and turning things around. History might not repeat itself exactly, but a new chapter could be on the horizon.