Melissa Rohlin

FOX Sports NBA writer

The most incredible physical feat in the NBA is often overlooked.

It's not Steph Curry's ability to shoot from space. Or Kevin Durant's ability to create his own shot. Or LeBron James playing like he's 20 at age 39.

It's Gregg Popovich, who coaches the San Antonio Spurs at the age of 75. He became the oldest coach in the world N.B.A history in 2020, surpassing Hubie Brown, who was 71 when he coached Memphis at the start of the 2004-05 season.

And four years later, he's still at the helm of the team, a feat that often goes under the radar but was made clear on Monday when it was announced that he will be sidelined indefinitely with an unspecified health issue.

“He’s doing well,” said Spurs assistant Mitch Johnson, who is serving as interim head coach. “He'll be fine. And we can’t wait to have him back.”

When asked how long Popovich is expected to be out, Johnson remained tight-lipped.

“I’m not at liberty to speak on that,” he said. “I don’t know enough information to even attempt to publish something like this.”

(RELATED: Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was sidelined indefinitely due to an undisclosed illness)

This much is certain: The rigors of the NBA season take a toll on some of the fittest people in the world, with flights that land at inconvenient times and schedules that can take teams to three cities in four nights. Despite charter flights, traveling during an 82-game season is notoriously strenuous and often triggers discomfort among men who, at the end of their years, still carry the suffix “teenager.”

Popovich has been the Spurs' head coach for 29 years. Sure, LeBron James played 22 seasons. But Popovich led the Spurs to an NBA-record 22 consecutive playoff appearances.

Popovich, a five-time championship coach, had long indicated he would retire whenever Tim Duncan hung up his jersey. Duncan gave up his final farewell to Spurs fans eight years ago; Popovich is still known for making waves.

Popovich is best known for his genius with to use what he thinks is right and from whom he might alienate himself.

Popovich's absence was never more evident than on Monday, the evening before Election Day.

“He’s someone we follow and listen to,” Clippers coach Ty Lue said.

Popovich would undoubtedly have encouraged everyone to vote on Tuesday. He has been an outspoken critic of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, recently saying: “He’s pathetic. He is small. He's a whiner.” Regardless of where you fall on the political spectrum, Popovich's silence on such an important evening was notable.

While Popovich has remained as passionate as ever on issues off the court, his approach on the court has softened significantly over the years. During his Hall of Fame induction speech, he even joked that if he coached Tony Parker now the way he did when he was 19, “I'd be wearing handcuffs.”

Popovich watched the Big Three, Duncan, Parker and Manu Ginobili, sail off into the sunset. He watched Kawhi Leonard get traded to Toronto. Over the last six years Spurs have not been competitive but interestingly he seemed to find a new joy in the work and loved developing the younger players. Once freed from the pressure of winning championships, he became lighter and laughed faster.

When reporters asked why he was still doing the job, he talked about how much he loved it. Do you get paid to coach a game? In his eyes, the joke wasn't that he was still working despite making millions, but that people were calling his job a real job.

Of course, things have changed recently. The Spurs landed the No. 1 overall pick in 2023 and secured the rights to Victor Wembanyama, the most heralded player since LeBron. Shortly thereafter, Popovich agreed to a five-year contract extension worth more than $80 million, making it the NBA's richest coaching contract.

Popovich made it clear that he is still very committed. His latest project? A 7-foot-3 Frenchman widely predicted to be the next face of the NBA.

It's remarkable when you think about it. Popovich is the longest-serving active coach in any major sports league in the United States. His endurance is truly legendary considering the mental and physical commitment it takes to train professionally.

But on Monday we were reminded that this won't last forever. Whether what ails him is serious or not, whether he's out for an extended period of time or returning for the next game, this is a reminder that what Popovich has done – and is doing – is unprecedented.

And of course, the Spurs knew he would be watching on Monday. They had a 40-14 lead over the Clippers in the first quarter, but ultimately fell 113-104 without their leader.

Before the game, Chris Paul said the players had not spoken to Popovich and wanted to give him space during this time. He noticed that they missed him. He mentioned that Popovich mostly preaches how privileged they all are to do this job.

But regardless of what's going on with Popovich, Paul laughed too, knowing his coach would be doing what he does best from afar.

“He’ll tell us what he sees,” Paul said.

Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.

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