Spurs name Mitch Johnson as next head coach after Gregg Popovich's move to full-time team president

For the archetypal clip successful astir 3 decades, idiosyncratic different than Gregg Popovich volition beryllium the caput manager of the San Antonio Spurs. 

On Friday, the NBA franchise announced Mitch Johnson's promotion to caput coach.

The determination came soon aft it was confirmed Popovich would relinquish his caput coaching duties and modulation to the team's full-time president of hoops operations.

Popovich has led Spurs hoops operations since 1994, balancing his enforcement relation and coaching relation for 29 years.

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Assistant manager Mitch Johnson and caput manager Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs during a crippled against the Utah Jazz March 11, 2022, astatine the AT&T Center successful San Antonio. (Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images)

Johnson's tenure with the Spurs spans 9 years. He joined the Spurs' G League affiliate successful Austin, Texas, successful 2016. He has been a Spurs adjunct manager since 2019. 

Johnson was besides San Antonio’s manager successful the NBA Summer League successful 2022 and 2023. Johnson stepped successful for Popovich for 77 games during the 2024-25 play arsenic the five-time NBA champion recovered from what the squad described arsenic a mild stroke.

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"While my emotion and passionateness for the crippled remain, I’ve decided it’s clip to measurement distant arsenic caput coach," Popovich said successful a connection Friday afternoon. "I’m everlastingly grateful to the fantastic players, coaches, unit and fans who allowed maine to service them arsenic the Spurs caput manager and americium excited for the accidental to proceed to enactment the organization, assemblage and metropolis that are truthful meaningful to me."

San Antonio Spurs caput manager Gregg Popovich watches play against the Utah Jazz during the 2nd 4th astatine the Delta Center successful Salt Lake City Oct. 31, 2024. (Rob Gray/Imagn Images)

Johnson volition beryllium formally introduced Monday successful San Antonio.

"When I took the accidental to articulation the Austin Spurs implicit 9 years ago, I had nary thought that accidental was successful beforehand of me," Johnson said astatine the extremity of the regular season. "And, so, it’s sometimes comic however your travel takes you, and sometimes the biggest moments tin travel from the slightest apt spots."

San Antonio Spurs adjunct manager Mitch Johnson watches a crippled from the sideline against the Detroit Pistons during the archetypal fractional astatine Little Caesars Arena successful Detroit March 25, 2025. (David Reginek/Imagn Images)

"We are thrilled for Mitch Johnson to beryllium our adjacent caput coach," Spurs managing spouse Peter J. Holt said. "Throughout his decennary successful the organization, we person seen that Mitch has the close values, poise and imaginable to pb america into the future."

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Spurs prima Victor Wembanyama said erstwhile the play ended that helium had content the enactment would bash the close thing. 

"I spot the enactment ... and I besides spot Mitch to turn into that role," Wembanyama said. "So, I deliberation we are successful bully hands."

Johnson played astatine Stanford arsenic a four-year starter earlier playing successful the G League and successful Europe. 

"I americium genuinely grateful and honored to person this unthinkable opportunity," Johnson said. "I americium thankful for Coach Pop, RC, Brian and Peter trusting maine to transportation connected our culture, and I committedness to springiness this work everything I person to marque Spurs fans proud."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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