The 911 call of the moment legendary NBA coach Gregg Popovich was ‘barely responding’ at a restaurant last month has come to light.
TMZ revealed details of the panicked call made by a man at Ruth’s Chris Steak House in San Antonio on April 15.
The former Spurs coach, 76, was rushed to hospital after the incident which occurred just six months after he had a mild stroke.
Worrying footage later emerged of the five-time NBA champion lying on a stretcher and being placed into an ambulance after reportedly fainting.
In the audio, you can hear the man tell the 911 operator that Popovich, who he didn’t identify, had just passed out.
Describing Popovich as a ‘guest’, the man said he was ‘non-responding’ before later changing his phrasing to ‘barely responding.’
The 911 call of the moment Gregg Popovich was ‘barely responding’ last month has come to light
The legendary coach worried Spurs fans with his appearance at an event earlier this month
Popovich is one of the NBA’s true legends – he has more wins as a coach than anyone else
Moments later, he noted that Popovich was starting to come around.
‘Ok. He’s responding now,’ the man says. ‘He passed out for a little bit.’
Popovich suffered a stroke before the Spurs-Timberwolves game on November 2 and was replaced by Mitch Johnson for the final 77 games of the season.
He left fans concerned in recent weeks when he made his first public appearance in six months.
As Johnson was formally introduced as the team’s new head coach, Popovich – who will be moving upstairs to the role of team president – revealed a shirt reading ‘El Jefe’ as he displayed his trademark wit.
But Popovich still showed some signs of his health issues, as he grabbed onto his former player Manu Ginobili at one point when turning around, while another one of his ex-Spurs stars, Tim Duncan, carried a cane for him.
He also spoke far more softly than he has in the past, as he said his health was improving.
Popovich, who has more wins than any other coach in the history of the NBA, led Team USA to Olympic gold at the 2020 Tokyo games.
