The San Antonio Spurs’ head coaching hunt did not last long. Shortly after ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Gregg Popovich would step down as head coach, he tweeted that the Spurs have hired his replacement, Mitch Johnson.
Following Popovich’s departure from the Spurs in November, Johnson took over as coach. He finished the season with a 31-45 record, while coping with injuries to his best players Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox. According to Charania, the Spurs prioritized continuity with Johnson’s hire. Popovich, general manager Brian Wright, and CEO RC Buford designed the through-line.
Johnson joined the Spurs during the 2016 offseason and served as an assistant with the Austin Spurs from 2016 to 2019. He was elevated to the San Antonio bench in 2020, replacing Tim Duncan, who stepped down as assistant coach. Johnson played four seasons at Stanford University from 2005-2009, and played one season with the Tulsa 66ers G League team.
He’ll take over for Popovich, who missed the majority of the 2024-25 season due to a small stroke on November 2. According to Charania, the coach recently visited the Spurs’ facilities but decided he couldn’t “move forward with the taxing grind of being an NBA head coach.”
He said Popovich has been making steady improvement since his stroke in November and another health concern in April. Popovich will take on a new role as the full-time president of basketball operations.
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