"It was an easy decision and felt super confident in the human being that he is," says Spurs GM Brian Wright of taking interim tag off.

The San Antonio Spurs, on Monday, officially passed the torch from Gregg Popovich to Mitch Johnson. In an emotional press conference featuring appearances from all the usual suspects, with Dejounte Murray, Stephon Castle, and David Robinson in attendance, Popovich, flanked by Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan, stepped into his new role as "El Jefe."

Johnson joined the Spurs’ staff in the summer of 2016 as a G League assistant before transitioning to the NBA club in 2019. By stepping up to help the Spurs navigate one of the more trying seasons in team history, Johnson earned the shot on a permanent basis, general manager Brian Wright said.