Head-coaching candidates for the Spurs if Gregg Popovich retires

The 2024-25 NBA season for the San Antonio Spurs was supposed to be a significant step upward from last season. Victor Wembanyama would be in his second year, and Chris Paul was brought in to provide veteran leadership and help Wemby in his process. Simply put, the Spurs were expected to win more. 

However, things took a tragic turn when five-time championship-winning coach Gregg Popovich suffered a stroke earlier in the season. With Coach Pop remaining out for the rest of the season, it’s fair to contemplate the future head-coaching position should he decide to walk away from the game. San Antonio has not indicated this is the case. However, given Pop’s age and recent health scare, it’s a viable thought. So, in that light, there are a few coaching candidates the Spurs could look at if they need to for next season.

Spurs interim HC Mitch Johnson leads candidates to replace Gregg Popovich if the legendary coach retires

Not only did Popovich’s health emergency significantly dampen the Spurs’ season, but now Wembanyama is out for the year due to a blood clot in his shoulder. This was shortly after the team made a massive trade for former Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox. The Spurs pulled off the trade without giving up some of their younger, future talent, too, including rookie Stephon Castle.

Mitch Johnson has been with the Spurs under Popovich since 2019. He took the reins to serve as the team’s interim head coach and will now handle those responsibilities until the season’s end. Considering his longstanding history and familiarity with the team, learning under Popovich and his respectable job filling in, Johnson leads the list of possible names San Antonio could turn to if Popovich retires.

Mitch Johnson

Despite where the Spurs sit in the Western Conference standings, Johnson has done an admirable job in the short time he’s coached the team. The organization likely saw him as Popovich’s heir going back a few seasons. At one point, it was thought that Becky Hammon might take over whenever Popovich retired. However, Hammon left the Spurs to take over head-coaching duties for the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA. It was a move that has worked out for Hammon, with a couple of championships to her name. Johnson’s promotion was sudden, but his reputation with the players has grown positively in a short time. He has good standing with Castle, Devin Vassell and Wemby and now has a chance to grow with Fox. If Popovich retires, Johnson is the first name to be considered.

Sam Cassell

Sam Cassell should have been made a head coach in the NBA already. Cassell has been coaching for a decade now, but in a previous life, he won three championships. His credibility and resume are indeed there, and his longtime assistant coaching experience only adds to why San Antonio could look at him. He’s long been considered one of, if not the best, assistant coaches in the league. It’s high time he was offered a head-coaching role, and the Spurs might be a good fit.

Becky Hammon

What a full circle moment it would be if Hammon were to return to San Antonio. Although she was considered Popovich’s possible replacement-in-waiting, the WNBA came calling. Hammon is an excellent coach and was highly respected among the Spurs players when she was there. She spent eight years in San Antonio, so the familiarity is certainly there, as is the respect from the organization. Her time in Vegas has shown she knows how to command a locker room, plus she’s a winner. On top of that, she learned from Pop, and there is no better person to learn how to coach from. Hammon would be a history-making choice. She would become the first female head coach to run an NBA team. But it goes far beyond that — she’s earned it.