Mitch Johnson 'Checks Every Box' For Successful NBA Head Coach
The San Antonio Spurs named Mitch Johnson the franchise's 19th head coach in May after his "unshakable leadership" during one of the most turbulent seasons in recent memory convinced organizational brass he deserved the permanent role, sources said. Johnson, 39, guided the team through Hall of Fame coach Gregg Popovich's stroke, Victor Wembanyama's season-ending blood clot diagnosis, and De'Aaron Fox's season-ending surgery.
Sources within the organization pointed to Johnson's leadership in the face of adversity as one of the reasons for his promotion from interim status. Johnson has responded by guiding the Spurs to the third-best record in the NBA.
New Orleans Pelicans point guard Dejounte Murray, who has known Johnson since age 15, endorsed the hire emphatically.
"He's going to be a head coach in this league for a long time," Murray told ESPN. "He's got the work ethic, the brains, the patience. He played the game. He checks every box, man. He's not shy. He's comfortable in any room he's in. I still keep in contact [with Spurs players]. They love him."
Johnson took over when Popovich suffered a stroke before a game not even 10 days into the 2024-25 season. The then-38-year-old assistant navigated the shutdown of Wembanyama after doctors diagnosed deep vein thrombosis in the star's right shoulder on February 20, 2025, and Fox's season-ending pinkie surgery, all without a full complement of assistants.
The organization felt confident in what Johnson might accomplish with a healthy roster, a full staff, and an offseason to implement his own strategies, according to sources.
Johnson first joined San Antonio as an assistant in 2016 for the team's Austin G League affiliate, the same year the Spurs drafted Murray with the 29th pick. Johnson had been working with Murray since the point guard was 15, and once the Spurs began vetting Murray, Johnson caught the organization's eye because of his coaching acumen and communication skills.
Johnson earned the trust of players to coach them as hard as Popovich did. During a Spurs loss earlier this season in Memphis, the gravel-voiced Johnson screamed from the bench: "Get a f---ing rebound!"
"Pop kept it honest," said forward Keldon Johnson, the longest-tenured member of the Spurs in his seventh season. "And Mitch would always keep it 100 with me, not sugarcoat it, tell me when I'm wrong but also give you that praise. I feel like that builds trust. He's earned that trust to be able to coach us, get on us and get the right response and get us motivated."
That approach has enabled Johnson to coach in his first NBA All-Star event during his first full season as head coach. The Spurs hold the league's third-best record at 39-16 heading into the final 27 games.
Johnson filled out his staff with assistants led by associate head coach and defensive specialist Sean Sweeney. He believes none of his personal success or the team's would have been possible without the adversity of 2024-25.
"Last year there was so much, and it was new for me, unplanned or prepared by me that I didn't know anything other than just trying to get through that day or what we were going through," Johnson said.
The trying experiences have brought the team closer, Johnson believes.
"I do think now, and I think probably more as time goes on, [last season] probably served as a vehicle for this team to be as close as we are," Johnson said. "We've had a lot of unique, rare experiences. We've had some things that produce a lot of time together and they produce events that typically stir or produce conversations, and maybe a little bit more deeper conversations; things that make you reflect on life or things you've [gone] through."
