SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio Spurs’ Gregg Popovich appointed Mitch Johnson as the team’s new head coach on Monday. In his first press conference since suffering a mild stroke in November 2024, Popovich spoke on his tenure as head coach of the Spurs for 29 seasons and his decision to step down from the role.

Johnson took over head coaching duties from Popovich, who suffered a stroke and had been away from the team indefinitely.

Johnson joined the Spurs’ staff in the summer of 2016 as a G League assistant before transitioning to the NBA club in 2019. By stepping up to help the Spurs navigate one of the more trying seasons in team history, Johnson earned the shot on a permanent basis, general manager Brian Wright said.