Gregg Popovich, who presided over one of the most successful eras in NBA history as head coach of the San Antonio Spurs, is stepping down from that role after 29 seasons. The NBA’s all-time leader in coaching wins (1,422), will transition to the role of president of basketball operations.
There will be no search for a new Spurs coach as the team turned in-house to fill Popovich’s shoes. Mitch Johnson, who served as interim head coach in the 2024-25 season after a stroke sidelined Popovich, has been anointed as the new full-time head coach.
The stroke undoubtedly played a role in the transition. On Nov. 2, just five games into the season, Popovich suffered the stroke at the team’s home arena as it prepared for a game that night versus the Minnesota Timberwolves. Johnson was named interim coach, and of Popovich he said, “He’s not feeling well.” Two days later the team revealed that the Hall of Fame coach had suffered a mild stroke and had already started rehab.
Johnson would retain the interim role for the rest of the season. Popovich visited the team at its headquarters, but he never returned to the sideline. Popovich turned 76 in January and was nine years older than any other NBA head coach. He was also the oldest head coach/manager out of any of the Big 4 North American sports leagues.
Popovich retires with a nearly unparalleled resume. He won five NBA championships over his 29-year tenure, which are the only five titles in Spurs franchise history. The five championships are tied with Pat Riley for the third-most in league history, and he went to six NBA Finals overall.
From 1998 to 2019, the Spurs made the playoffs every season. That 22-year run tied the Philadelphia 76ers (1950-71) for the longest postseason streak in NBA history, and San Antonio won five championships during the run, compared to the Sixers’ two. Another record set by Popovich’s teams was an 18-year run of winning 50-plus games from 2000 to 2017. No other team in league history has won 50-plus games in more than 12 consecutive seasons.
In addition to his role as head coach, Popovich was San Antonio’s general manager and VP of basketball operations for eight years, before relinquishing that role to focus solely on coaching in 2002. So he is familiar with being a basketball executive and now can fully commit to that position, without worrying about the intricacies of team matchups, juggling rotations, and on-court decisions.
Prior to joining the Spurs in the front office in 1994, Popovich spent 21 years as a college assistant, college head coach, and NBA assistant. He also served as the U.S. National Team head coach for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, where the U.S. won the gold medal.
The Spurs now turn from the 76-year-old Popovich to a man half his age with the 38-year-old Johnson, who has been with the Spurs’ organization since 2016. He’s progressed from being an assistant for the Spurs’ G-League team, to an assistant to Popovich with the main squad, to interim head coach and now will have his first full-time head coaching position.
Johnson inherits a team with the last two Rookie of the Year winners in Victor Wembanyama (2024) and Stephon Castle (2025). The team also acquired All-Star De’Aaron Fox at the trade deadline, and has a 6.7 percent chance of winning the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery and being awarded the first overall selection.
Although getting the gig because of Popovich’s health issues is certainly not ideal, Johnson is excited at the chance to coach a legendary franchise and follow in the footsteps of a historical figure.
