Getting to Know the New Head Coach of the San Antonio Spurs

Time for Mitch Johnson to show what he can do with the San Antonio Spurs

Apr 9, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; San Antonio Spurs interim head coach Mitch Johnson watches the action against the Golden State Warriors in the second period at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images | David Gonzales-Imagn Images

A new era is beginning for the San Antonio Spurs. With longtime head coach Gregg Popovich retiring as the team's head coach after five championships in almost 30 years in charge, the Spurs announced on Friday that assistant Mitch Johnson would become the franchise's next head coach.

Johnson, who served as the interim head coach for most of this season with Popovich dealing with health issues, helped guide the Spurs to a 32-45 record. While the team missed the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season, they managed to show a lot of promise-- with star rookie, Stephon Castle, taking home this season's Rookie of the Year honors.

Starting his coaching career as an assistant at Portland, Johnson moved his way up the ranks, as he then proceeded to join the Spurs' G-League affiliate, the Austin Spurs, as an assistant prior to the 2016-17 season.

After a few seasons there, Johnson joined Popovich's staff in 2019. Over those years, Johnson has been crucial in helping San Antonio develop its current key players-- most notably Victor Wembanyama, Jeremy Sochan, Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson, among others.

By promoting Johnson, the Spurs go into next season with some continuity from the Popovich era. With Johnson understanding the culture in San Antonio and having been an integral part of the staff for the last few seasons, he now gets the chance to lead the Spurs full-time in the hopes of getting them back into championship contention.

Playing for the Stanford basketball team from 2005-2009 under head coaches Trent Johnson and Johnny Dawkins, Johnson had a big role during his time on The Farm, starting the final two seasons of his career. As a junior in 2007-08, Johnson put together his best season, averaging 6.7 points, 5.2 assists and 4.3 rebounds as he helped guide the Cardinal to the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen.

But after going undrafted in the 2009 NBA Draft and playing overseas for a few seasons, Johnson quickly turned to coaching and has shown that is his true calling. Now with the opportunity to lead one of the NBA's most successful franchises, Johnson will look to carry on the Popovich legacy and bring more rings back to the city of San Antonio.