Legendary Gregg Popovich steps down as San Antonio Spurs head coach after 29 years

Popovich led San Antonio Spurs to five NBA championships during his near-three-decade spell

Gregg Popovich has stepped away from his role as San Antonio Spurs coach (AP)

Gregg Popovich has called time on his legendary near-three-decade stint as San Antonio Spurs coach.

Popovich,76, led the team to five NBA championships across 29 years and leaves the bench with the most wins of any coach in the history of the league.

An NBA Hall of Fame, he transitions to a full-time role as the team’s president.

"While my love and passion for the game remain, I've decided it's time to step away as head coach," Popovich said.

Popovich took an indefinite leave of absence after suffering a stroke back in November, having missed all bar five of the team’s games this season.

He has not spoken publicly since, though had addressed his team at least once and released a statement in late March saying that he hoped to return to coaching.

"I'm forever grateful to the wonderful players, coaches, staff and fans who allowed me to serve them as the Spurs head coach and am excited for the opportunity to continue to support the organisation, community and city that are so meaningful to me," Popovich said.

Popovich's career ends with a record of 1,422-869, which does include the 77 games — 32 wins and 45 losses — that were coached by Spurs assistant Mitch Johnson this season.

Gregg Popovich leaves San Antonio as one of the all-time greats (AP)

He also won 170 playoff games with the Spurs, the most by any coach with any one team and the third-most overall behind only Phil Jackson's 229 and Pat Riley's 171.

Popovich was a three-time coach of the year and coached six Hall of Famers in San Antonio — Manu Ginobili, David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Dominique Wilkins and Pau Gasol.

He went up against 170 different coaches during his time in the NBA and there have been 303 coaching changes made in the league, including interim moves, during the Popovich era.

He also coached the US to a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, guiding the nation to the top of the podium for a fourth consecutive time.

Additional reporting from AP.