Gregg Popovich Will Miss Rest of Season After Suffering Stroke In November

Gregg Popovich won't be back on the NBA sidelines anytime soon ... as the three-time coach of the year announced he will miss the rest of the season as he continues to recover from a stroke he suffered in November.

Popovich released a statement minutes ago ... saying interim head coach Mitch Johnson and the staff "have done a wonderful job and the resolve and professionalism the players have, sticking together during a challenging season, has been outstanding."

"I will continue to focus on my health with the hope that I can return to coaching in the future."

The last game the 75-year-old coached was back on Halloween -- a 106-88 win over the Utah Jazz. The stroke occurred before the team's following game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

San Antonio is currently 22-30 under coach Johnson and 24-33 overall ... which has them sitting at 13th in the Western Conference standings.

Johnson was asked last month about his conversations with the longest tenured head coach in the league .. and he said their interactions haven't changed much -- their focus is on helping the team win.

Popovich wasn't the only member of the team to experience medical issues this season ... as star center Victor Wembanyama is expected to be out for the remainder of the season due to a blood clot in his shoulder.