Gregg Popovich’s legendary 29-year run as coach of the San Antonio Spurs — which began in 1996 and included five NBA championships and a record 1,422 wins — is over.
The Spurs announced Friday that the 76-year-old Popovich, who had been sidelined since suffering a mild stroke in November, would retire as coach and become the team’s president of basketball operations. Popovich, who had been the NBA’s oldest coach, was hospitalized last month following a medical incident at a San Antonio restaurant in which he reportedly fainted.
“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.”
Mitch Johnson, the 38-year-old assistant coach who had served as interim coach since Popovich’s stroke, will become the Spurs’ full-time head coach, the Spurs and the Klutch Sports Agency announced Friday.
Popovich joined the Spurs in 1988 as an assistant coach after coaching Pomona-Pitzer, a Division III college in California. During the 1996-97 season, Popovich took over as head coach from Brian Hill during a dismal 20-62 campaign in which star center David Robinson played just six games. However, the Spurs landed the No. 1 pick that year and drafted franchise icon Tim Duncan, a turn of events that set up San Antonio as a model of stability and success for the next two decades.
The Spurs made the playoffs in each of the next 22 seasons, and Popovich coached San Antonio to championships in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014. From 1999-2000 through 2016-17, the Spurs won at least 50 games in 18 straight seasons — even when the NBA only played 66 games in 2011-12 because of a labor dispute.
San Antonio’s success was driven by Duncan’s two-way brilliance, a suffocating defense and a strong record in the draft that included Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, a pair of international guards who became Hall of Famers, and Kawhi Leonard. Popovich surpassed Don Nelson in 2022 as the winningest coach in NBA history, and his 170 playoff wins rank third behind Phil Jackson and Pat Riley.
Popovich, dubbed “Coach Pop,” emerged during the Spurs’ glory days as one of the NBA’s biggest characters, known for his sarcastic barbs to reporters, his strong political opinions and his love of wine. He was named coach of the year in 2003, 2012 and 2014 — one of only three coaches (along with Nelson and Riley) to win that honor three times — and was included on the NBA’s list of its 15 greatest coaches during its first 75 seasons.
An Air Force Academy graduate, Popovich accomplished a longtime goal by leading the U.S. men’s basketball team to a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023.
“Congratulations to Gregg Popovich on an extraordinary coaching career that has left a lasting mark on the game we all love,” the Hall of Fame said in a statement. “The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame proudly celebrates your legacy of excellence, leadership, and championship success on and off the court.”
Despite his advancing age and the Spurs’ struggles in recent years, Popovich signed a lengthy contract extension in 2023, shortly after the franchise landed French phenom Victor Wembanyama with the No. 1 pick in that summer’s draft. San Antonio has missed the playoffs in each of the past six seasons, and Wembanyama was ruled out for the season in February with a blood clot in his shoulder. Johnson stepped in as Popovich’s interim replacement following his stroke in November, and the organization announced in February that Popovich would remain out for the rest of the season.
“Coach Pop’s extraordinary impact on our family, San Antonio, the Spurs and the game of basketball is profound,” Spurs owner Peter J. Holt said in a statement. “His accolades and awards don’t do justice to the impact he has had on so many people. He is truly one-of-one as a person, leader and coach. Our entire family, alongside fans from across the globe, are grateful for his remarkable 29-year run as the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs.”
Johnson, a Stanford graduate, joined the Spurs organization as a G League assistant coach in 2016 before joining Popovich’s staff as an assistant in 2019.
“We are thrilled for Mitch Johnson to be our next head coach,” Holt said. “Throughout his decade in the organization we have seen that Mitch has the right values, poise and potential to lead us into the future.”
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