SAN ANTONIO — On a bleak, rainy Monday afternoon, Mitch Johnson was formally introduced as the Spurs’ newest head coach to a room full of reporters, friends, family and members of the organization. Last week, the Spurs officially announced that Johnson’s interim tag, which he held for the 2024-25 season, would be dropped, avoiding an expensive, drawn-out coaching search. Johnson took over head coaching duties in November from Gregg Popovich, who suffered a stroke and had been away from the team indefinitely.
The handshake and embrace between Popovich and Johnson was an emotional passing-of-the-torch moment, synonymous with the tapestry the Spurs have built their organization on for decades. To bring awareness to his new role as president of basketball operations, Popovich, 76, stood at the podium with Manu Ginóbili, Tim Duncan and David Robinson to unveil a customized black T-shirt. The shirt displayed “El Jefe”, which translates to “the boss” on the front and “Señor Popovich, President of Basketball Ops” on the back.
passing of the torch 🤝 pic.twitter.com/tjmR9v1Qj2
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) May 5, 2025
Popovich was making his first public appearance since early November. Also in attendance were current Spurs Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle, as well as Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray, who shares a deep, personal bond with Johnson.
An emotional Johnson began the news conference by thanking the entire Spurs organization, which stood firmly by his side during a season that featured a myriad of ups and downs both on and off the floor, as did a deep Spurs fan base that has shown unwavering support.
“It required all of us to step out of our comfort zones and do a little bit more than was initially expected when we started training camp,” Johnson said. “I would like to say a special thank you to (assistant) Brett Brown. He’s an uncle, not by blood, but someone I look up to very much and someone that I lean on. For the rest of the staff, people in this building, the organization, all that you do to make this place one of a kind — thank you.”
Johnson could barely hold it together as he spoke directly to Popovich, illustrating how his former boss led by example, showing him the importance of attention to detail, player development and overall competitiveness — but also the humanistic side that comes with being a head coach in the NBA, something Popovich exemplified. When Johnson took over as interim head coach, having been handpicked by Popovich, the confidence handed down and the autonomy to do things his way stood out. The Spurs finished 34-48, 13th in the West, but won 12 more games than the previous year, all while witnessing the development of Castle and Wembanyama in real time, along with the midseason addition of star guard De’Aaron Fox.
“The best thing you ever taught me, and you’ve shown me more than you’ve taught me about it,” Johnson said, “You understand the moment and how important every single moment is. And no moment is like any other. The discipline you have to be grounded and present, giving yourself to every moment is what I will never forget. And at this moment, I would like to say thank you.”
Over the next 20 or so minutes, Johnson spoke to his preparedness for next season. He wanted to drive home the point that his hiring was not an inflection point signaling a restart of sorts. The Spurs have always been about continuity and Johnson wants to be a reflection of that. As it pertains to roster building, Johnson will work closely alongside general manager Brian Wright in the same manner that Popovich did. However, despite the Spurs’ financial flexibility, wealth of draft capital and young talent, Johnson illustrated his intention to focus on working with the current group, citing his excitement about their potential already shown last season.
“We have a hold on the direction and want to build upon something,” Johnson said. “This is not a reboot or restart. It’s a new chapter because it looks different, but the theme of the book isn’t changing.”
(Photo of Gregg Popovich shaking hands with Mitch Johnson as Tim Duncan (right) and Manu Ginobili look on: Eric Gay / AP Photo)
