12:20pm: The move is official, the Spurs announced in a press release. “We are thrilled for Mitch Johnson to be our next head coach,” managing partner Peter J. 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.”
11:41am: Mitch Johnson, who served as the Spurs‘ interim head coach after Gregg Popovich was sidelined by an early-season stroke, will be given the job on a permanent basis, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
The move comes after Popovich stepped down from the position earlier today to become the team’s full-time president of basketball operations.
Johnson, 38, has been with the organization since 2016 when he was hired as an assistant coach for San Antonio’s G League affiliate in Austin. He became an assistant with the NBA club three years later.
He was pushed into the spotlight after Popovich’s medical issue emerged six games into the season. Johnson took over the reins and led the Spurs to a 31-45 record, keeping them in the race for a spot in the play-in tournament until the final week of the regular season despite injuries to Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox.
The is the Spurs’ first official coaching change since 1996, when Popovich replaced Bob Hill on the sidelines. Johnson becomes the third-youngest active coach in the league, behind only Boston’s Joe Mazzulla and Utah’s Will Hardy.
Before starting his coaching career, Johnson was a star player at Stanford, ranking second on the school’s career assist list when he graduated in 2009. He spent three years playing in the G League and in Europe before retiring to pursue coaching.
In a full story, Charania states that Johnson had “tremendous support from the franchise’s top officials and players” to become Popovich’s successor. Charania cites the move with Johnson as part of “the continuity and through-line” created by Popovich, CEO RC Buford and general manager Brian Wright to maintain stability in the organization.
The Spurs are showing tremendous faith in Johnson by giving him the job without conducting a widespread search. Some of the other names currently on the market include Michael Malone, who was recently fired after a long stint with Denver that included an NBA title, and ex-Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins, who also began his career as an assistant with the Spurs’ G League team.
This I don’t love as much, but Mitch was thrown into the fire unexpectedly and it was hard to expect too much from him in year 1. Hopefully he can prove some of my doubts wrong in year 2.
Mike Malone wasn’t considered? Interesting, since he was a Pop guy.
Who said he wasn’t considered?
The team that hired the other guy?
Consider doesn’t mean chose. Choose a dictionary.
I always let your smart little comments slide, but lately you’ve been on some s*it with everyone. Turning almost bad as Davey J. If you don’t have anything to say about the article, then don’t reply instead of criticizing everything that everyone says on here and has nothing to do with the current topic.
I asked a question, you couldn’t answer it. That’s a you problem. Do better.
Alright we’ll play this game Uno boy.
1) He wasn’t considered thru my eyes, because Spurs already named Pop’s replacement in less than an hour. You would think they would have actually done an interview at least for Malone, but they did not. Nobody was rumored for this job. Nobody was a candidate for this job outside of Mitch Johnson.
2) Consider = think carefully about (something), typically before making a decision. – WHICH AGAIN THEY DID NOT
3) Choose = pick out or select (someone or something) as being the best or most appropriate of two or more alternatives. – WHO WAS THE OTHER GUY? THERE WAS NOBODY ELSE MENTIONED.
4) This wasn’t choosing. This was predetermined based on him being the interim head coach to begin with.
Now you do better instead of trying to criticize everything anyone has to say like a child and stay on the actual topic.
Just because the announcements were made close together doesn’t mean Spurs haven’t been discussing this in the background since Pops last incident. Maybe they did interview Malone a week ago? I don’t see it in the article one way or another.
If it wasn’t in the article to begin with, then he probably didn’t interview with him. He got fired on April 8th, Spurs last game was April 13th. It’s been 2 1/2 weeks since the season ended. Also Mitch Johnson probably had to meet with upper management at the EOY as well to see where he lines up if Pop did step down.
Not hard to connect the timeline, but let’s see if Malone was even considered to begin with.
I have no clue who was considered, and when, but surely the front office started it’s due diligence shortly after Pop’s stroke. Would have been irresponsible not to. Even without knowing if he’d return or not, they had to prepare for the possibility he couldn’t.
It’s also very possible, if not likely, Pop was grooming Johnson to replace him for years. Continuity is important to this franchise.
Uhh its Michael
Congratulations.
No surprises here. SPURS are one of these few franchises who grow, develop from within.
SPURS can hire Budenholzer, back as assistant HC. It’ll be full-circle for Buds.
Probably not a good move if they have any plans on pursuing KD or Giannis.