Popovich makes transition official, steps aside as San Antonio head coach

In true Greg Popovich style, there was emotion, there was his trademark wit, and those closest to him were by his side

The legendary head coach of the San Antonio Spurs passed the baton Monday during a press conference

introducing Mitch Johnson as his permanent successor on the bench. The 76-year-old Popovich suffered a mild stroke in November of 2024

He looked more frail and sounded more soft-spoken than usual, But he made official what was announced by the team Friday

that he'll transition to the front office as head of basketball operations

Things are getting better by the day, but it's not good enough for what we plan ahead

And so it's time to make this change. Popovich gave an update on his health and rehab with fellow Hall of Famers Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan by his side

Timmy and Manu, of course, who have been here for all of my workouts here at The Rock

they say it's because they love me and they want to be there in case I fall

and they're going to catch me and that sort of thing. I call it payback. As they give the rehab people new ideas of things to do to me So you not fooling anybody especially you Timmy With Duncan Ginobili and Tony Parker the Spurs became a dynasty

During his 29 seasons as head coach, they won five NBA championships

Popovich is the all-time leader in regular season wins with 1,422, which led to 22 straight playoff appearances and 18 straight 50-win seasons

He said he'll help the new regime as much as he can in his new role

I'm no longer a coach. I'm Al Heffernan. Hopps' successor Mitch Johnson spent the past decade as one of his lead assistants

and led the Spurs to a 32-45 record in his absence. He said he'll continue to do things the Spurs' way

The Spurs have a great foundation with all-star Victor Wimbenyana as the centerpiece

along with guard De'Aaron Fox. They also have two first-round picks, numbers 8 and 14, in June's NBA draft

For Straight Arrow News, I'm Chris Francis