Why did Popovich choose Mickey Johnson to replace him as Spurs head coach?

Mickey Johnson is not very famous, but if you know who his dad is, you can understand why he stayed in the NBA as a coach. His dad is NBA star John Johnson, who played for the Seattle Supersonics and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

has won a championship once and was selected into the NBA All-Star lineup twice.

The older fans who watch NBA games should know his existence, and they are still a good player.

Unfortunately, Mickey Johnson is not that talented, not as good as his father. He once played basketball at Stanford University, was the team's main point guard, and played with the Lopez brothers.

After that, he also played in Europe for several years, and his overall performance was relatively mediocre and he had no outstanding performance. After the end of the player age, Mickey began to become a coach, first as an assistant coach at the University of Portland, and later became an assistant coach of the Spurs in 2019. This lasted for five or six years.

He and Dezhangtai Murray have a story.

It was in 2012 that Murray was arrested for a fight and almost faced jail. Mickey admired him very much, so he bailed the young man and began to train him, supervise him to practice, and then study hard so that he could focus on basketball.

Later, Murray was selected by the Spurs and came to the team to play, thanks to Mitch Johnson's cultivation recommendation, so the team signed him without hesitation, which is a good story.

There are many horses, but not many Bole. Mickey Johnson used his actions to help a young player grow, which also shows his personality charm.

In terms of player communication and personnel management, he has characteristics, can mobilize players' emotions, and is guided, and has great prestige among players.

In the past few years since I came to the Spurs, Popovich has taken good care of this young junior. He has communicated a lot in private and admired Mickey Johnson's coaching attitude.

In recent years as an assistant coach, Popovich trusts him very much and appreciates the harmonious atmosphere between him and the players.

Other coaches may be very strong, but Mickey doesn't say anything, he is good at listening and communication, which allows him to resolve many conflicts within the team and ensure the stability of the team.

He played point guard when he was young, and he had a great view of the situation. After becoming an assistant coach, he continued this coaching style, rich in football business and smart, which also allowed him to be loved by everyone.

Judging from the Spurs' games in recent years, and the period when he replaced Popovich with his physical discomfort, I think he can be the Spurs' coach.

, let's not mention the results. What height can he bring to the team, but as a temporary transition candidate, Mickey Johnson is very suitable.

Currently, the Spurs have a group of young people, including Wenban Yama, Castle and others. They are growing up, and the team is still in a trough, and what they need is cohesion and stability.

Popovich chose him to take over, and he also considered this factor and knew which type of coach the team is suitable for.

If it were Budenholzer and Rivers, it would not be suitable and would not match the team's plan, Mickey Johnson would not have this problem.

First, he has been in the team for many years and is very familiar with the environment and player personality here; second, his personality is also good, not the kind of strong person, and he is also very suitable as a candidate for transitional development.

For these considerations, the Spurs also went with the flow and made a decision that everyone was satisfied with.

I feel a lot of emotion at this moment when I see Ginobili, Duncan beside Popovich, and Duncan takes the initiative to take off his clothes for Popovich.

People still cannot beat the years, and this master-disciple relationship is also moving. I haven’t seen such a warm moment for a long time.

After Popovich fell ill, Duncan and Ginobili were always with him for rehabilitation training. When you see the old man still joking with Duncan, time will recall more than 20 years ago.

When Duncan and Popovich met for the first time, the two of them were playing with each other.

This master-disciple relationship is also rare, and it makes people feel the warm emotions between the players and the coach.

Wish Popovich good health, rest well, and live the rest of the years ahead. He is already a legend of the Spurs.