Gregg Popovich, the legendary former San Antonio Spurs head coach, has married Mary Barth Budenholzer — the former wife of his longtime assistant coach, Mike Budenholzer — in a low-key ceremony that only became public this week.
The Wedding Details
According to a Bexar County marriage license obtained by TMZ, Popovich and Budenholzer wed on September 16, 2026, in Texas. Neither Popovich nor Budenholzer has issued a public statement about the marriage, and Mike Budenholzer has also not commented publicly on the news.
It’s unclear exactly when the couple began dating, though they were reportedly seen together at Spurs games throughout the 2025-26 season.
A Second Marriage for Popovich
This marks a new chapter for Popovich, 77, who was previously married to his late wife, Erin Popovich, for more than 40 years until her death in 2018 following a prolonged illness.
Popovich coached the Spurs from 1996 to 2025, guiding the franchise to five NBA championships and cementing his place as the league’s all-time winningest coach. He stepped away from the sideline after the 2024-25 season following a stroke he suffered right before a Spurs home game in November 2024, handing head coaching duties to Mitch Johnson, who had worked under him as an assistant from 2019 to 2024. Popovich now serves as the team’s president of basketball operations.
The Connection to Mike Budenholzer
The marriage links Popovich to a significant figure in his own coaching history. Mike Budenholzer joined the Spurs organization in the mid-1990s, working his way up from video coordinator to Popovich’s lead assistant coach over nearly two decades. During Budenholzer’s time on the staff, the Spurs won four NBA championships, in 1999, 2003, 2005, and 2007.
Budenholzer left San Antonio in 2013 to become head coach of the Atlanta Hawks. He went on to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to an NBA championship in 2021, and later coached the Phoenix Suns. He and Mary Barth Budenholzer divorced in 2016 — nearly a decade before her marriage to his former boss.
Mike Budenholzer is reportedly now in a relationship with another woman.
What This Means for Two of the NBA’s Most Respected Coaches
Popovich and Budenholzer’s professional relationship spanned some of the most successful years in Spurs history, built on nearly 20 years of working side by side toward multiple championships. This marriage adds an unexpected personal thread to that history — one neither man has spoken about publicly, and one that arrives years after both the Budenholzers’ divorce and Popovich’s own transition away from coaching and into the Spurs’ front office.
