Gregg Popovich will not coach the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of their first-round series with the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night after Erin Popovich, his wife of 40 years, passed away on Wednesday.

Assistant coach Ettore Messina will fill in for the Spurs, who trail the Warriors 2-0 in the best-of-seven series.

Erin Popovich passed away early Wednesday at the age of 67 after battling an undisclosed illness for an extended period of time. The couple had two grown children and two grandchildren.

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Gregg Popovich will not coach the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of their first-round series with Warriors on Thursday night after Erin Popovich, his wife of 40 years, passed away Wednesday

Ettore Messina (left) will replace Gregg Popovich (right) in Thursday's Game 3 in San Antonio

'We're all suffering a profound loss to a really important member of our family and our team,' Spurs general manager R.C. Buford said Thursday. 'Erin and Gregg were best friends who were together for 40 years, and Erin's impact and influence on our organization, on our families, on our players and their families will be felt for years to come.

'I spoke to Pop this morning. He's overwhelmed by the support. He's very appreciative of the love that's been shared with our group and with him and his family and Erin's family. As you'd expect from Pop, he wants our focus to be about the game today, about this series, and that's what today will be about. We'll miss Erin a lot, and the focus of our team will be on supporting Pop. But we've got basketball to get back to.'

Popovich did run the Spurs practice on Wednesday before leaving the Spurs, who he has guided to five NBA titles since taking over for Brian Hill in 1996.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who won two titles while playing for Popovich on the Spurs, was overwhelmed with emotion when told about the passing of Erin on Wednesday and was unable to bring himself to discuss her death publicly.

On Thursday, though, Kerr did discuss Erin Popovich, who was close with his wife, Margot.

'I knew her well,' Kerr told reporters. 'She was close with my wife when I played here. Erin was sort of the balance that Pop needed. I still remember when he traded me to Portland in 2001. He called me up to tell me the news and he said, "I don't think I can go home because Erin is going to be so mad at me for trading you."'

Gregg Popovich traded Steve Kerr (left) to the Portland Trail Blazers in a deal for Steve Smith in 2001, only to reacquire Kerr in 2002, along with Antonio Daniels (right)

'Margot [Kerr's wife] and Erin were close and stayed in touch over the years,' he continued. 'She was part of the family. She has dealt with a lot over the past few years, healthwise, and has been very courageous in her battle. So we all grieve and at the same time, try to celebrate her life and her legacy.

'You've got to be special to be married to Pop. She was very kind. I know Pop has told this story, but the way Pop handles the sideline reporters and the media sometimes, he'd go home and Erin would lay into him - "What are you doing?" - and so she kind of kept him in check.

'Pop has told me a lot over the past few years about how happy they've both been being relatively new grandparents over the past five years or so. So it's hard not to think about the grandkids right now, and of course Pop and Erin's two kids, Jill and Mickey. We all mourn her loss.'

Kerr was not the only member of the Warriors to express his condolences.

'It's bigger than the game,' Warriors forward Kevin Durant said on Wednesday night. 'It's bigger than winning and losing. It's about the brotherhood we built as N.B.A. players and everybody in the N.B.A. family.'

A native of Italy, who has coached some of Europe's most prestigious teams, Messina is a candidate to become an NBA head coach in the near future, with openings in New York, Charlotte, Phoenix, Orlando, Milwaukee, and Memphis.

Steve Kerr on Erin Popovich ... remembers when he was traded to #Blazers .. how Pop told him he probably couldn’t go home because Erin would be mad at him. Said she was part of the family #Spurs #Warriors #NBA pic.twitter.com/IE3YR2MluV — Jabari Young (@JabariJYoung) April 19, 2018

Warriors coach Steve Kerr (right), who won two titles while playing for Popovich on the Spurs, was overwhelmed with emotion when told about the passing of Erin on Wednesday and was unable to bring himself to discuss her death publicly