Tree and acorns: Mitch Johnson, Mike Brown draw on Gregg Popovich's lessons

SAN ANTONIO -- As the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks prepare to clash in the NBA Finals, the shadow of a league legend looms large over both teams' benches.

Both Spurs coach Mitch Johnson and New York head man Mike Brown spent formative time learning on the staff of retired coach Gregg Popovich, the Basketball Hall of Famer who led San Antonio to five NBA titles.

Brown served under Popovich from 2000-03 and played a key coaching role in helping the franchise win the 2003 NBA Finals over the New Jersey Nets. Brown and Popovich even coached a first-grade, six-man flag football team together during that stint, blowing away the competition.

"We were awesome," Brown said Tuesday. "Pop was offensive coordinator. I was the defensive coordinator. We actually dominated that league."

Brown said he still adheres to many of the principles he learned from Popovich, honed in the practice gym and on the Spurs' bench next to his Hall of Fame mentor.

"There's a ton on the court. There's a ton off the court," Brown said. "Pop was very influential in my life at the time, not just professionally but personally as well.

"The biggest thing is just to stay the course, keep trying to grow and keep trying to learn. Make sure you try to keep everybody, not just your 15 or 18 players, but however many players you have and everybody in the organization and around the city, try to keep them as connected as possible."

Johnson has spent more time in the Spurs organization, starting as an assistant for the team's G League affiliate in Austin before moving up to San Antonio in 2019 as an assistant. Johnson took over as interim coach when Popovich suffered a stroke in early November 2024 and led the Spurs to a 32-45 record over the rest of the season.

Johnson was then named head coach in May 2025 when Popovich retired, and he guided the team to a monumental turnaround as San Antonio went 62-20 and finished second in the Western Conference. The Spurs outlasted the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder in a seven-game slugfest to earn their first trip to the Finals since 2014.

Popovich, currently the Spurs' president of basketball operations, was there in the background (and sometimes in a more direct manner) to mentor Johnson every step of the way.

"The relationship has stayed the same in terms of feedback, discussion, challenging each other, me asking him a lot of questions, him giving me a lot of wisdom," Johnson said Tuesday. "(Popovich is) a pretty good resource for what I've been walking through since October and up until now.

"I cannot have created a better rhythm or build-out of him being a constant resource for me, but then also totally giving me the freedom and runway to try to roll this thing out in my own reflection as myself. That's pretty valuable. To be honest, I don't know if anyone's ever had that opportunity that I've had this year. I don't take that for granted. It's not lost on me the impact he's had, while also empowering me to be myself.

"My restaurant list and wine list may not be the same as Pop's, but yeah, we're trying to connect it all and, again, keep writing new chapters."

--Steve Habel, Field Level Media