Why Gregg Popovich just had 32 wins removed from his NBA record

Legendary NBA coach Gregg Popovich’s career win total has just taken a hit. 

The longtime Spurs head coach had 77 games, including 32 wins, removed from his ledger by the league on Wednesday because he did not coach those contests after suffering a stroke on Nov. 2 that held him from coaching for the rest of last season. 

The games are now credited to Mitch Johnson, who has now taken over as the team’s full-time head coach after he led the squad on an interim basis.

Popovich’s record now sits at 1,390-824, and though his total number of wins went down a smidge, his win percentage went up from .621 to .628. 

Though Popovich lost some wins, it does not knock him off his throne as the NBA’s all-time leader in victories because he’s still 53 wins clear of Don Nelson.

After the 2024-25 season concluded, Popovich announced that he was stepping away from the head coach position after 29 years. 

“While my love and passion for the game remain, I’ve decided it’s time to step away as head coach,” Popovich said in a statement.

Wednesday’s change was not the first time the NBA has tweaked the records of a head coach.

In 1979, former Lakers coach Jack McKinney was involved in a biking accident early in the season, leading to Paul Westhead taking over as interim coach.

The NBA now only credits McKinney with a 10-4 record that year and a 50-18 record to Westhead, who led the team to the championship that year. 

In addition to the wins, Popovich’s career includes five NBA championships and three NBA Coach of the Year awards. He was the head coach of Team USA during the 2020 Olympics, leading it to a gold medal. 

Popovich coached six Hall of Fame players during his career: Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Dominique Wilkins, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Pau Gasol.  

He still holds a role with the Spurs as president.