Mitch Johnson has formally been named the following head coach of the San Antonio Spurs basketball workforce, Spurs Sports activities and Leisure introduced in a press launch Friday. He’s the nineteenth head coach in San Antonio Spurs historical past.
The announcement got here shortly after confirming that longtime head coach Gregg Popovich will transition into a brand new function because the franchise’s President of Basketball Operations. The Spurs plan to carry an introductory press convention with Johnson on Monday.
The son of former NBA Seattle SuperSonics’ John “JJ” Johnson, Mitch grew up taking part in basketball and was immersed within the sport. A Seattle native, Johnson, 38, graduated from O’Dea Excessive Faculty, the place he performed below coach Phil Lumpkin and acted because the workforce captain throughout his varsity tenure.
He went on to play Division I collegiate basketball at Stanford, the place he averaged 5.2 factors, 3.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists per recreation whereas taking pictures 38.3% from the sector, in accordance with ESPN statistics. Right here, he performed amongst different rising legends such because the Lopez twins and Landry Fields. He graduated from Stanford in 2009 with a bachelor’s diploma in sociology, going undrafted for the NBA that very same yr.
Johnson then had a short stint within the G League with the Tulsa 66ers earlier than occurring to play professionally in Europe throughout leagues in Germany and Belgium for 3 years.
He formally started his teaching profession in 2015 as an assistant on the College of Portland, though he had briefly additionally coached younger athletes within the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League earlier than that. Johnson solely spent one yr with the Portland Pilots earlier than he joined the Austin Spurs, the G League affiliate of the San Antonio Spurs, in 2016, serving to lead the workforce to a G-League championship in 2018.
Popovich employed Johnson as an assistant coach with the Spurs in 2019, and in 2020, he was promoted to a full-time assistant function, taking on Tim Duncan’s former place on the workers. Johnson served as interim head coach throughout a 140–103 loss to the Suns on Might 15, 2021, whereas Pop attended Duncan’s Corridor of Fame induction, and once more in a 110–99 win over the Pacers on March 2, 2023, because of an sickness overtaking Pop.
Johnson once more stepped into the function as interim head coach in November, after Popovich suffered a light stroke, resulting in an prolonged go away of absence. Pop initially expressed optimism he would return after his analysis; nevertheless, in April, he skilled a second “medical episode,” which reportedly led to his choice to retire from teaching.
It was introduced through social media on Friday that Johnson would formally take away the interim from his title transferring ahead.
Johnson had reportedly “amassed sturdy backing” from the group since taking on as interim head coach, with lots of the workforce’s younger gamers giving him sturdy opinions, together with 2023-24 Rookie of the 12 months Victor Wembanyama, who final month informed ESPN that he trusts “Mitch to develop into [the] function.”
“I feel we’re in good arms supporting one another all all through the group,” he’s reported as saying. “I’m prepared for something, and I do know the group will [make] the nice selections.”
Johnson lives in San Antonio together with his spouse, Jessica, and their 4 kids: Tasia, Tatum, Johnnie and Jameson.
