The news of Gregg Popovich’s health has been an arrow to the heart of basketball fans everywhere. The legendary coach suffered a mild stroke on November 2nd ahead of the Spurs matchup against the Timberwolves, and told his team at the end of February that he would not be returning. “I will continue to focus on my health with the hope that I can return to coaching in the future,” Pop said in a statement. His words had a tremendous effect on anyone who ever played for him, including Chris Paul.
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CP3 joined the Spurs in the 2024-2025 season and immediately grew close to Pop, who was an integral part of him joining the team. His role not only positioned him to be a mentor to Victor Wembanyama, but to play under the NBA’s winningest coach of all time. Unfortunately, Paul only got five games with Pop before his life-altering setback.
Yet even in despair, Paul remains strong in how grateful he is for the relationship he gets to have with Pop. In a recent press conference, he was asked about what the coach’s absence means to him and how it affected his season. Instead, he spoke about things that are more important than basketball.
“Things happen that are way bigger than the game. My relationship with Pop goes way beyond whether or not he gets the chance to coach me,” said Paul. “There’s a lot of gratitude that comes with just being able to go out and continue to compete. That’s how I feel.”
The loss of Pop on the court didn’t mean he wasn’t watching games. Paul even revealed that the 76-year-old legend would call him on the phone to share his insight that the legendary coach cultivated over decades.
“He calls after games and I talk to him, and he tells me what he sees and I appreciate that more than anything because he doesn’t have to do that,” Paul revealed to ESPN in January. Assistant coach Mitch Johnson has since taken over, but a dark cloud continued to loom over the Spurs’ season.
Wembyama too suffered a season-ending injury, leaving CP3 and the rest of the team to have to sludge through until the end of the year.
At 39, Paul is far from his prime, and is only averaging 9 PPG in 60 Spurs games this season. The numbers are similar to what he had a season ago for the Warriors, but Paul’s role on the team was never about the numbers.
He was brought in to give the team a veteran presence and aid Popovich with his undeniable basketball IQ. Even with Popovich and Wembanyama gone, Paul’s job isn’t over.
