Gregg Popovich may have retired from coaching last year, but he has not disappeared from the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs coach is now formally listed as president of basketball operations, and his role this season has centered on giving Mitch Johnson and the locker room guidance from behind the scenes.
That matters because Popovich is still the person many players reach for first. Devin Vassell said he gets feedback from Popovich and values the blunt honesty. Rookie Carter Bryant said Popovich has been a big part of the whole year, adding that he talks to him on the phone three times a week and gets texts from him after nearly every game. Keldon Johnson speaks with him every day, and second-year guard Steph Castle has leaned on him often for advice as he has worked through the season.
Popovich’s continued presence carries extra weight because this is not just a ceremonial job. He is the NBA’s all-time winningest coach, and the transition to Johnson began in November 2024, when Johnson stepped in on an interim basis after Popovich suffered a stroke. Since then, Popovich has appeared to be focused on support and relationships, not public command, even as he remains one of the most influential voices around the team.
That behind-the-scenes pattern was not exactly hidden inside the organization. Popovich was announced after the season in the new role of El Jefe, Spanish for The Boss, and he wore a shirt with that title at the news conference. Around the team, it was an open secret that he spent the season building or maintaining ties with players one by one, a quieter form of leadership that fit the moment and his health.
What makes that arrangement unusual is the tension between title and reality. Popovich is still formally the boss in the structure of the front office, yet Johnson is the coach directing the team day to day. For the Spurs, the setup has created a bridge between eras: a legendary coach easing into a backroom role while still shaping the habits, confidence and accountability of a young roster.
For Bryant, that has meant frequent reminders from a figure he called the greatest coach of all time. For Vassell, it has meant hearing the truth instead of sugarcoated talk. And for the Spurs, it means the Popovich era is not over so much as it has changed shape, with El Jefe still in the building and still in the ear of the players who need him most.
