San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich watches his team play against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half at Paycom Center. Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Spurs' Gregg Popovich embracing new role with team after retiring as HC

By Clark Dalton | Last updated May 5, 2025 5:26 PM ET

Gregg Popovich has been battling health issues for the past six months, but the former San Antonio Spurs head coach has maintained his sense of humor.

On Friday, Popovich announced he was retiring after 29 seasons with San Antonio. The 76-year-old coach suffered a mild stroke in November 2024, which forced him to miss the rest of the season.

In new head coach Mitch Johnson's introductory news conference on Monday, Popovich spoke to the media for the first time since suffering his stroke. He revealed he'll now serve as Spurs basketball president of operations, and he's clearly embracing his new role.

Standing alongside former Spurs stars Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, Popovich removed his jacket, unveiling a T-shirt that said, "El Jefe," the Spanish word for the boss.

̶p̶r̶e̶s̶i̶d̶e̶n̶t̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶b̶a̶s̶k̶e̶t̶b̶a̶l̶l̶ ̶o̶p̶e̶r̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶s̶ El Jefe pic.twitter.com/VxDnCLoBsF
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) May 5, 2025

"I'm no longer coach," Popovich said softly. "I'm 'El Jefe.'"

Popovich will never coach another game for the Spurs, but he should always be a central figure in the organization. During his tenure, he won five championships and 1,422 regular-season games, the most in NBA history. He also developed star players, including Duncan, Ginobili, Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard.

And who could forget his blunt but amusing in-game interviews with sideline reporters?

While Spurs fans should certainly miss the coach, he gave them reason to feel optimistic about Johnson, who coached 77 games after Popovich left last season.

"We saw [Johnson] in action, and he was brilliant," Popovich said. "Players respect him. He'll hold them accountable, and I couldn't be more thrilled for him and his family and friends."

Johnson, who was an assistant under the coach from 2019-24, acknowledged he can't be "[Popovich] or 'El Jefe.'" Despite that, he's not ditching his mentor's core values.

"The theme of the book isn't changing," Johnson said.

However, even if Johnson is as successful as his predecessor, he may never have the long-lasting impact that Popovich has had on the organization.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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