The calls come like clockwork, not long after the final horn after each game. Spurs point guard Chris Paul will look at his phone and see Gregg Popovich’s name come up. “He calls after games,” Paul said.

With the San Antonio Spurs in Paris for a pair of games against the Indiana Pacers this week, the absence of coach Gregg Popovich looms over what would otherwise be a showcase for the NBA and second-year French star Victor Wembanyama.

PARIS – Legendary San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is “attacking his rehab with the same resilience” after suffering a stroke in November that he’d shown on the bench, chief executive RC Buford said, but his return to the team this season remains in question.