Mitch Johnson Defends De'Aaron Fox Ahead of NBA Finals Game 5: 'We Stick Together'

SAN ANTONIO — If a group of chronically online San Antonio Spurs fans had their druthers, Mitch Johnson would have been fired on Nov. 2, 2025, 30 minutes after his squad suffered its first loss of the regular season to break up a historic 5-0 start.

That night, Victor Wembanyama scored just nine points coming off a sophomore season cut short by deep vein thrombosis and De'Aaron Fox had yet to suit up, still nursing a hamstring strain suffered over the offseason that kept him sidelined until six days later.

Johnson astoundingly kept his job after the worst loss in franchise history, but the same group of fans again called for his head on Nov. 5, hoping he'd be kicked off the team plane coming back from Los Angeles after the Spurs fell to 5-2 facing the Lakers.

The 38-year-old stays off social media, but now eight months into his first full season as the Spurs' permanent head coach, he gets the idea. He can imagine the uproar.

Because that same group likely had it out for De'Aaron Fox after Game 4 of the NBA Finals.

"I think I've been fired 212 times," Johnson began, speaking on the criticism he's received, "and we've traded Fox 72 times. But we still have to show up and play tomorrow. I've got to coach. The people that matter ... we stick together through the highs and lows."

Jun 5, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs coach Mitch Johnson speaks with the media before Game 2 of the 2026 NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks at Frost Bank Center. | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Entering Game 4 with a chance to even the NBA Finals after dropping a pair of home contests to begin the series, the Spurs credited their veteran point guard and coach for reaching that point. The blowback came after the Spurs blew a 29-point lead in two quarters.

San Antonio went from setting an NBA Finals record for most made 3-pointers in a half (14) to missing five straight in the third quarter while the Knicks went on a 13-0 run.

It finished the period shooting 4-for-20 from the field and went scoreless in the paint, becoming the first team this postseason to do so over an entire quarter. By the final buzzer, New York had clawed all the way back from its deficit to complete the historic comeback.

The Spurs' mindset immediately following the loss focused on moving forward.

"I told them to feel the emotions," Johnson said postgame. "It's humanly (im)possible to not. Tomorrow, (we'll) take all the emotion out. They better be ready to play in two days."

Fox, who made a critical mistake with under 14 seconds to play in the fourth quarter by attempting a fast break layup while the Spurs were up by one point instead of running out the clock and forcing the Knicks to foul, received most of the blame online for the loss.

His explanation was simple: he felt he could outrun a lurking O.G. Anunoby. Yet as soon as the game was over, the play left his mind. Any outside noise was moot.

"It's not like people have my phone number and can call me," the point guard said. "It doesn't matter. It is what it is. You can't change it now. We're trying to move on from that."

Meanwhile, the Spurs have kept their interal message the same. Not only do they not blame Fox for the loss, they will continue to trust him with the ball in crunch time.

"De'Aaron Fox will have the basketball in his hands at the end of (Game 5)," Johnson said, "and I have the utmost confidence he's going to deliver like he's done countless times."

Jun 10, 2026; New York, New York, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox (4) shoots against New York Knicks forward O.G. Anunoby (8) in the fourth quarter during Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden. | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

In his first playoff run with the Spurs, Fox has averaged 15.9 points and 5.9 assists on 42.8 percent shooting from the floor. He's added 1.2 steals per game while placing fifth in assist percentage and ratio across players with at least eight postseason games played.

While Fox's scoring has taken a dip compared his regular season averages, when he logged just shy of 19 points per game, he's continued to bring serenity to the Spurs' offense.

"It's not even a question," Wembanyama said of trusting the point guard. "That's his identity. The trust is complete. We know (he's) as reliable as they get. He brings everything we need."

If the Spurs aren't able to close out Game 5, the online criticism will continue. Johnson will lose his job for an NBA record 213 times, and Fox will be the first player to be traded 73 times in the span of one season. The duo couldn't be less worried about their futures in San Antonio. Especially not amid the franchise's first NBA Finals berth since 2014.

They have the trust of the people who's opinions matter. Anyone outside of that can't change, nor dictate how Spurs basketball is played on the hardwood.

With their season on the line, winning the next 48 minutes is what the Spurs are focused on.

"We still have that belief that we have a chance to win," Fox said, "but we're taking this one game at a time. We're not looking at it as we need to win three games. We need to win tomorrow and then we give ourselves a chance to play another game."

Add us as a preferred source on Google