LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich sat out San Antonio's game against the Los Angeles Lakers after falling ill shortly before tipoff Sunday night.
The 73-year-old Popovich apparently felt fine during his pregame media availability and preparations, but the winningest coach in NBA history then fell ill shortly before tipoff in Los Angeles on Sunday night.
鈥淲hen something like that happens, you鈥檙e concerned,鈥� said Spurs assistant coach Brett Brown, who ran the team in Popovich鈥檚 absence. 鈥淏ut the doctors have checked him out. I was just with him, and as we speak, he is fine.鈥�
Brown said he learned Popovich wouldn鈥檛 be coaching 鈥渁s I was walking out on the court ... 20 seconds before the game was going to begin.鈥� Popovich stayed at the arena during the game, and he spoke to the team afterward.
鈥淚t鈥檚 always a human thing,鈥� Brown said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a dear friend of mine. We鈥檝e been with each other, known each other for a quarter of a century. That鈥檚 not a short period of time, and so my immediate reaction is, 鈥楬ow is he?鈥� He has such amazing endurance, and he鈥檚 such an amazing competitor, when something like that happens, you鈥檙e concerned.鈥�
The Spurs provided no additional details about Popovich鈥檚 illness.
San Antonio lost its fifth straight, falling 123-92 to the Lakers to complete a winless seven-day road trip. The Spurs have lost 10 of 11 overall after a 5-2 start to the season.
Popovich has been the Spurs' head coach since 1996, making him the longest-tenured head coach in North America's major professional sports leagues. He has won five NBA championships and three NBA Coach of the Year awards while winning a league-record 1,350 regular season games.
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Greg Beacham, The Associated Press
