Longtime San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich will transition from head coach to the team’s president of basketball operations, the team announced Friday. Mitch Johnson, who took over as coach after Popovich suffered a stroke in November, will be the permanent replacement.
The move ends the sideline career of 76-year-old Popovich, who was by far the longest-tenured coach in all major U.S. sports leagues. He earned just over $200 million during his nearly three decades as coach of the Spurs, per Sportico estimates.
His current five-year contract, signed in the summer of 2023, paid roughly $17 million per season on average and ranked second among the highest-paid NBA coaches, just behind Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors, and was fourth among coaches in all sports in North America.
Popovich was the Spurs general manager until he fired Bob Hill as coach in December 1996 and named himself the replacement. It launched a career with an NBA-record 1,422 wins, including 35 during the 2024-25 season after Johnson took over. He led the Spurs to 22 consecutive playoff seasons from 1998 to 2019 and is one of just five coaches with five titles. He won Coach of the Year three times, tied with Don Nelson and Pat Riley for the most in league history.
There is always a lot of turnover on NBA sidelines, but the past five weeks saw three of the five longest-tenured coaches end their reign. In March, the Memphis Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins, and last month, Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone was fired, less than two years after he led the franchise to its first NBA title.
There are now only two NBA coaches hired by their current teams before 2020: the Miami Heat’s Erik Spoelstra (2008) and Kerr (2014).
Popovich and the entire NBA coaching industry benefited from a 2023 market escalator when the Detroit Pistons hired Monty Williams with a six-year, $78.5 million contract. Before Williams, Popovich was the only NBA coach who earned $10 million a year. In the 13 months after the Williams hire, seven more coaches signed eight-figure deals, and Popovich signed his most recent deal at a $4 million annual bump.
“While my love and passion for the game remain, I’ve decided it’s time to step away as head coach,” Popovich said in a statement. “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.”
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Longtime San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich will transition from head coach to the team’s president of basketball operations, the team announced Friday. Mitch Johnson, who took over as coach after Popovich suffered a stroke in November, will be the permanent replacement.
The move ends the sideline career of 76-year-old Popovich, who was by far the longest-tenured coach in all major U.S. sports leagues. He earned just over $200 million during his nearly three decades as coach of the Spurs, per Sportico estimates.
His current five-year contract, signed in the summer of 2023, paid roughly $17 million per season on average and ranked second among the highest-paid NBA coaches, just behind Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors, and was fourth among coaches in all sports in North America.
Popovich was the Spurs general manager until he fired Bob Hill as coach in December 1996 and named himself the replacement. It launched a career with an NBA-record 1,422 wins, including 35 during the 2024-25 season after Johnson took over. He led the Spurs to 22 consecutive playoff seasons from 1998 to 2019 and is one of just five coaches with five titles. He won Coach of the Year three times, tied with Don Nelson and Pat Riley for the most in league history.
There is always a lot of turnover on NBA sidelines, but the past five weeks saw three of the five longest-tenured coaches end their reign. In March, the Memphis Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins, and last month, Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone was fired, less than two years after he led the franchise to its first NBA title.
There are now only two NBA coaches hired by their current teams before 2020: the Miami Heat’s Erik Spoelstra (2008) and Kerr (2014).
Popovich and the entire NBA coaching industry benefited from a 2023 market escalator when the Detroit Pistons hired Monty Williams with a six-year, $78.5 million contract. Before Williams, Popovich was the only NBA coach who earned $10 million a year. In the 13 months after the Williams hire, seven more coaches signed eight-figure deals, and Popovich signed his most recent deal at a $4 million annual bump.
“While my love and passion for the game remain, I’ve decided it’s time to step away as head coach,” Popovich said in a statement. “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.”
