Gregg Popovich has finally decided to drop the curtain on his illustrious 29-year career as an NBA head coach. Popovich is stepping down from his position as head coach of the San Antonio Spurs and is transitioning to a full-time role as president of basketball operations. The 76-year-old released a statement via the Spurs, in which he addressed his decision.
“While my love and passion for the game remain, I’ve decided it’s time to step away as head coach,” Popovich said. “I’m forever grateful to the wonderful players, coaches, staff and fans who allowed me to serve them as the Spurs head coach and am excited for the opportunity to continue to support the organization, community and city that are so meaningful to me.”
Popovich first joined the Spurs as an assistant coach to Larry Brown in 1988 and held that position until 1992. He then returned as the general manager and vice president of basketball operations in 1994.
Popovich then fired head coach Bob Hill during the 1996-97 season and took over the role himself. What followed was an almost unprecedented level of success.
The Spurs made 22 consecutive playoff appearances under Popovich. They won 50 or more games in 18 seasons in a row and were the gold standard in the NBA. Popovich would lead the team to five NBA championships (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014) and now walks away as the league’s all-time leader in regular-season wins with 1,422.
Popovich, a three-time Coach of the Year, surely would have loved to continue, but his health concerns have forced him to step down. He suffered a mild stroke in November 2024 and then, in April 2025, had to be hospitalized after fainting at a restaurant. It seemed unlikely that he would return as head coach after the second incident.
For a brief moment, there was some speculation as to who would replace Popovich. It was soon announced, though, that assistant coach Mitch Johnson will be taking over.
Johnson had been the acting head coach in Popovich’s absence in 2024-25. He led the Spurs to a 31-45 record and will now take over the reins full-time.
Johnson had gone undrafted in 2009 after four seasons at Stanford. After stints in the G League and in Europe, he chose to get into coaching. He began his journey with the Spurs when he became an assistant coach for the Austin Spurs, the G League affiliate, in 2016.
Then, in 2019, the Spurs hired Johnson to be a full-time assistant coach. He filled in for Popovich a few times when he was absent, and now takes over permanently. Johnson also released a statement thanking the Spurs for giving him the opportunity.
“I am truly grateful and honored to receive this incredible opportunity,” Johnson said. “I am thankful for Coach Pop, RC [Buford], Brian [Wright] and Peter [J. Holt] trusting me to carry on our culture and I promise to give this responsibility everything I have to make Spurs fans proud.”
Johnson certainly has a lot to live up to. He’ll have Victor Wembanyama, De’Aaron Fox, and Stephon Castle to help him in his quest to take the Spurs back to the top of the mountain.
