Gregg Popovich married Mary Barth Budenholzer on September 16, 2026, in Bexar County, Texas. The marriage license became public via TMZ reporting on September 23, 2026. Popovich, then 77, is the former San Antonio Spurs head coach (1996–2025) and current president of basketball operations. Mary is the ex-wife of Mike Budenholzer, Popovich’s longtime assistant.
The pairing is notable because the two families were intertwined for decades inside one of the NBA’s most private, family-oriented organizations. Exact dating start is not public; TMZ noted they attended Spurs games together during the 2025-26 season.
Popovich married Erin Rose Conboy on October 10, 1976, after meeting her while an assistant at the Air Force Academy (her father was the longtime athletic trainer there). They had two children, Jill and Micky, and remained married 42 years. Erin was widely described as a stabilizing presence who kept the famously intense coach grounded. She died April 18, 2018, at 67 after a prolonged illness (reported as respiratory or interstitial lung disease in some accounts). The Spurs issued a statement calling her “a strong, wonderful, kind, intelligent woman.”
Mike Budenholzer joined the Spurs organization in the mid-1990s as a video coordinator and became an assistant under Popovich from 1996 to 2013. He was on staff for four of the franchise’s five titles (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007) before leaving to become Atlanta Hawks head coach. He later won a title with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021. Mary Ellen Barth, born October 10, 1964, in Corpus Christi, Texas, and a University of Texas graduate, married Mike and raised four children with him: William, Savoia “Libby,” Hanna, and John. She stayed largely out of the spotlight. The two couples socialized in the tight Spurs circle; Charles Barkley once publicly needled Mary about whether she was holding Mike back from a head-coaching job.
Mike and Mary divorced quietly. TMZ dates it to 2016; other reports place it around 2018. Mike later entered a new relationship. After Erin’s death, Popovich and Mary—already longtime acquaintances through the organization—eventually grew closer. No public timeline of courtship exists beyond the game appearances and the September 2026 wedding.
Popovich stepped down as head coach in May 2025 after a mild stroke on November 2, 2024, and another health incident in April 2025. He transitioned to the front office. The marriage came more than a year into that new chapter.
The Spurs’ image of disciplined, low-drama professionalism was tested by high-profile personal scandals involving star players. Tony Parker married actress Eva Longoria on July 7, 2007, in Paris. The marriage collapsed in late 2010 after Longoria discovered extensive text messages between Parker and Erin Barry, then-wife of former teammate Brent Barry. Longoria filed for divorce in California in November 2010 citing irreconcilable differences; Parker filed in Texas. They finalized it in January 2011.
Parker admitted to the texts but denied a physical affair. The Barrys also divorced. The story was messy because it involved a celebrity spouse, a teammate’s wife, and a computer file Longoria reportedly found after Parker left it open. Popovich publicly downplayed any on-court distraction at the time. The episode stood out against the organization’s usual privacy.
Tim Duncan married college sweetheart Amy Sherrill on July 21, 2001. They had two children, Sydney (2005) and Draven (2007). Amy filed in March 2013, during the playoffs. Both petitions cited discord and conflict of personalities with no reasonable expectation of reconciliation.
The process was unusually secretive. A judge granted the divorce in August 2013 during a lunch-hour hearing at Duncan’s lawyer’s office rather than the courthouse, citing privacy concerns and paparazzi risk. Documents were sealed. Duncan’s side hired a private investigator and sought details on personal trainer Gilbert Urbano, whom they linked to Amy. Tabloid reports (unconfirmed in court filings) claimed Amy alleged Duncan was bisexual and had a male college friend who lived with the couple early in the marriage; Duncan’s camp countered with infidelity claims against Amy. Settlement details stayed private, with rumors of a large payout. The off-site hearing and sealed records made the split notably odd even by celebrity-athlete standards.
