Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich’s time as the head coach of the team is over.
The Popp era ends in San Antonio, as the 76-year-old’s health issues have resulted in his inability to do his role on the court. Instead, he’ll be transitioning to the front office.
Popovich was away from the club after suffering a “mild stroke” on Nov. 2. His health put his coaching future in question, and San Antonio provided that answer on Friday, announcing his changed role.
During the season, Mitch Johnson was tasked with leading the Spurs on an interim basis. With Popovich officially out of the role, Johnson is now taking over the helm.
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Here is what you need to know about San Antonio’s new head coach.
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Who is Mitch Johnson?
Mitch Johnson is a 39-year-old coach who has served as a Spurs assistant since 2019.
Johnson is a former basketball player, as he played college ball for Stanford from 2005-09, appearing in 129 games in his four-year college career. He then had a brief stint in the G League playing for the Tulsa 66ers.
Johnson first got into coaching in 2016 as an assistant for the Austin Spurs, San Antonio’s G League team, before getting promoted to San Antonio in 2019.
This is not the first time that Johnson filled in for Popovich as interim head coach. He did it twice before — once when Popovich had COVID and once when he was away to attend Tim Duncan Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
It is notable that San Antonio opted to go with Johnson as the team’s interim head coach since there are more experienced coaches on the bench, notably Brett Brown, the former 76ers head coach who coached 565 games over seven seasons in Philadelphia. However, Spurs players and coaches have tons of praise for Johnson and believe he’s the right person for this position.
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Veteran Chris Paul, who is in his first season with the Spurs, had nothing but good things to say about Johnson as a communicator.
“Mitch has been great, man,” Paul said, via The Athletic’s Kelly Iko. “I’ve gotten a chance to know Mitch even before I signed here. He’s doing an amazing job, and it’s crazy that he’s in the role that he’s in now because he’s been so communicative anyway.”
Additionally, Spurs players don’t believe Johnson is overwhelmed by the sudden promotion.
“He can coach. You’ve seen around the league, a couple teams have brought him in for interviews,” Charles Bassey said, via Iko. “That shows he can have an impact on any team. He’s good at what he does, and we as a team respect him—and other teams respect him as well, knowing he stepped in for Pop. He’s doing a brilliant job to me.”
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Spurs coaching staff
Popovich has been calling the shots for the Spurs since 1996, making him the longest-tenured head coach in the NBA. Johnson and Brown headline his assistant coaching staff.
- Gregg Popovich, head coach
- Mitch Johnson, assistant coach
- Brett Brown, assistant coach
- Matt Nielsen, assistant coach
- Will Sevening, trainer
