Gregg Popovich married at 78
The legendary coach married Mary Bart Budenholzer on September 16 in Texas, according to a Bexar County marriage license.
Gregg Popovich, the long-time coach of the San Antonio Spurs, has married Mary Bart Budenholzer at age 78. The couple tied the knot on September 16 in Texas, according to a Bexar County marriage license obtained by media outlets.
Popovich's new wife is 61. She is the former wife of Mike Budenholzer, who served for years as an assistant on Popovich's staff and later became a head coach in the NBA.
Career and connections
Popovich, often referred to as "the Mad Serbian," won four NBA titles with the Spurs (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014) with Budenholzer on his coaching staff. Mike Budenholzer left the Spurs in 2013 — a year before the franchise's most recent championship — and later coached the Atlanta Hawks, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns. Budenholzer did not coach in the NBA during the 2025–26 season; he and Mary Bart Budenholzer divorced in 2016.
Popovich ended his long NBA coaching career in 2025 after 29 seasons and finished as the league's winningest coach. The NBA later adjusted Popovich's career record by removing 77 games he missed in the 2024–25 season, leaving a final career mark of 1,390–824.
The marriage adds a personal chapter to Popovich's life after retirement and reconnects him publicly to longtime coaching circles in the league.
Photo: press material from the event
