Gregg Popovich Changed the Spurs; Now It's Mitch Johnson's Turn to Follow

SAN ANTONIO — He'd done it thousands of times before. Still, he hated it.

Gregg Popovich, the morning of the San Antonio Spurs' media day prior to the 2024-25 season, strutted to the front of a packed gym at the team's practice facility to face reporters. Of interest? Well, Chris Paul was a Spur.

"I’ve despised Chris for many years,” Popovich said.

The room laughed. Now that that was out of the way, the rest of our burning questions were up on the docket. Just to be sure, we asked who had secured a spot in the starting lineup for the year.

"I'm thinking Victor will start because I'm smart," he quipped. "After that, who the hell knows."

Another round of laughs followed. Popovich was giddy as ever to be at the helm of the Spurs for another season. He even joked about wanting a younger reporter to begin the questioning, at which point we made eye contact — I was noticeably juvenile in comparison to the decade-long reporters he'd grown more than familiar with over the years.

San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich stands in front of the media before his press conference at the team's Media Day. — Sep 30, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich stands in front of the media before his press conference at the team's Media Day at Victory Capital Performance Center. | Matt Guzman-San Antonio Spurs On SI

Popovich didn't know that it was the last media day he'd be part of. Five games into the season, he suffered a mild stroke in the tunnels at Frost Bank Center prior to tipoff against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

What ensued next was a season-long health battle. It took months before the coach could walk again, and until February — three months after the initial incident — for him to stand in front of his team for an in-person meeting.

"He was still cussing," Keldon Johnson recounted. "'Y'all need to play defense! Y'all need to rebound!' Knowing that he really is watching the games because he's calling out specific situations, was huge."

Popovich took no prisoners, minced no words and accepted no excuses, especially not from his personal physicians.

"They’ve quickly learned that I’m less than coachable," he joked in December, one month following his stroke.

As Popovich's coaching future began to look bleak, it became clear that even if he did return, he wouldn't quite be the same. Those implications were hard to accept, though likely harder for the coach himself.

Yet when he stepped away Friday afternoon, nobody blamed him.

"He's one of the most important people in my life," Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "He's a generational leader."

Mar 11, 2022; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich is surrounded by players after becoming the winningest coach in NBA history after the game against the Utah Jazz at AT&T Center. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

"He talked about life," Spurs general manager Brian Wright added. "Keeping things in the right perspective. The guys feel that ... I don't know that there's another person that means so much to another organization."

Popovich would never accept that credit.

"I'm a product of serendipity," the coach often said. "How much credit should I get for serendipity putting me here?"

That can't be otherwise proven, but Popovich's résumé makes a compelling case. A member of the 2023 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class, the 76-year-old boasts five NBA championships, two Olympic gold medals, the most wins in league history (1,422) and 18 straight 50-win seasons.

But his impact went far beyond the 94 feet of hardwood court he often ruled.

Popovich trusted Manu Ginóbili enough to bench him. He waited for Tim Duncan to make the Hall of Fame before accepting consideration. He was among the first to tell Derrick White he believed in him. He even sat with DeMar DeRozan for hours after his father passed away.

"That just showed the (kind of) person he was," DeRozan said.

Popovich also made the pitch to Paul to join forces during a season when he couldn’t have been more needed.

"I've paid attention to Pop my entire career," Paul said. "He is one of the best, if not the best at putting everything into perspective ... He makes sure we understand how privileged we are to play this game and to be in the NBA."

Just hours after Popovich's decision to step away from coaching in favor of his now-full time role as the Spurs' president of basketball operations, two of his pupils faced the media in identical T-shirts.

"Thanks, Pop!" they read. Kerr donned one; Houston's Ime Udoka the other. Both teams were facing off in Round 1 of the Western Conference Playoffs.

“Pop’s going to kill me,” Kerr joked. “He’s going to call me a hapless rube."

Perhaps the same gaze painted on the shirt found itself on Popovich's face that night. More likely, the coach's expression matched that of watching Becky Hammon deliver her speech to him at his Hall of Fame induction.

“You’ve changed the trajectory of my life," she said that evening. "I love you.”

WATCH: What Legacy Does Gregg Popovich Leave Behind?

Mitch Johnson had seen that gaze a time or two. And he wore it while officially accepting his new position as San Antonio's 19th head coach.

“I am truly grateful and honored to receive this incredible opportunity,” he said, now Popovich's successor.

Apr 6, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; San Antonio Spurs acting coach Mitch Johnson looks on during the first half against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center. | Soobum Im-Imagn Images

With such a role, however, came immense responsibility. Johnson knew the kind of shoes Popovich wore — they stepped softly, but purposefully.

He also knows those shoes aren't his to fill.

“I can’t be him," Johnson said before cracking a joke at his former boss' new title, "Or ‘El Jefe.' But to be able to commit and invest in people and relationships ... he did it better than anybody. I will attempt to do it my way, whatever that looks like, going forward.”

All season, Johnson worked in a state of limbo. Popovich was out, but his coaching status remained in question until early February, which added another layer to his already complicated job.

It was the players who kept him moving forward.

"They make it fun to go to work," the then-acting coach said.

Johnson and Popovich had that in common. While it was far from the only thing Johnson picked up from his mentor, it was atop the list of reasons why he made for a strong relief.

"You want a leader that’s authentic and genuine to themselves," Spurs general manager Brian Wright said. "You want a teacher that can help bring a group forward ... it was an easy decision."

"One of the reasons that I'm doing this now," Popovich added, "is we have to have someone in charge who's fully capable of giving their very best. That's what this group deserves and demands."

Popovich changed the Spurs when he appointed himself head coach in 1996. He did it again when he won his first title, and four more times with a dynasty of players who would eventually flank him as he entered the room to address the media for likely the final time of his career.

That Monday morning, Popovich walked away on his own volition. The 76-year-old passed the torch to Johnson, who stood behind the same podium he used to, and prepared to move in to a new stage of his career. Johnson as well.

“We have a hold on the direction and want to build upon something,” the coach said. “This is not a reboot or restart. It’s a new chapter ... but the theme of the book isn’t changing.”

Johnson has a decade's worth of experience to draw from and a mentor to lean on as he navigates his first offseason as a head coach. He'll have the No. 2 overall pick and several roster decisions to weigh in on alongside Popovich as well, but what separates him most from his predecessor is simple.

Johnson is not a product of serendipity.

Only Popovich has that honor.