Spurs announce! The new coach takes office! He brings NBA All-Stars from prison

The Spurs officially held a press conference for new coach Mickey Johnson. Former Spurs coach Popovich attended, and Ginobili and Duncan were with him. Surprisingly, Pelicans player Dezhangtai Murray also came to the press conference. Although he is an old Spurs player, he has been away from the team for a full three years. Why did he appear this time?

In today's NBA, it is indeed quite rare for one team of players to attend the press conference of the coach of another team. Murray came to the scene this time mainly to support Spurs' new coach Mickey Johnson. Murray is 29 years old and met Mitch Johnson when he was 15 years old. The latter not only released Murray from prison, but also helped him on the road to basketball.

Mickey Johnson was born on November 29, 1986, 10 years older than Murray. Both of them were once local star players in Seattle. In 2011, Mitch Johnson worked as an intern coach at Seattle University. He heard that Dejunta Murray is a very promising star, but there are too many troubles outside the field and they always fight.

When Murray was arrested for the third time, his family had lost patience and did not want to spend money on bail. After Mickey learned about this, he released Murray from jail. Not only that, Mickey also developed a strict training plan for Murray and urged him to complete it every day. In order to allow Murray to play in the Nike Elite Youth League, Mickey formed an AAU team.

Murray spends his time and energy on the court and has no time to cause trouble. I'm afraid many childhood friends and brothers may not be able to do Mitch's kindness to Murray. Murray wrote on social media: "I will always owe you because you gave me hope to embark on the road to basketball!" In 2016, Murray was selected by the Spurs at the 29th pick in the first round.

At that time, Mitch Johnson was an assistant coach at the University of Portland, and also Murray's personal coach and life mentor. Mickey introduced Murray's training and game situation to the Spurs coaching staff, and his excellent communication skills were recognized by Popovich. In the summer of 2016, Mickey became the assistant coach of the Austin Spurs affiliated team.

Mickey Johnson first helped Murray, but never thought about what to give Murray back. But judging from Mickey's development in the Spurs, he and Murray also achieved mutual success. Mickey has been honing in the Development League for three years and won the championship with the Austin Spurs in 2018. In September 2019, Mickey Johnson officially became the assistant coach of the San Antonio Spurs! In the 2021-22 season, Dezhangtai Murray was selected into the All-Star Championship and won the regular season steals king. Mickey was happier than him. If it weren't for Mickey, Murray might still be in and out of prison now. He trained a problem boy step by step to become an NBA All-Star. Few coaches have such patience and perseverance!

In the summer of 2022, the Spurs traded Murray to the Hawks, and he and Mickey were officially separated. At the same time, Spurs chief assistant Becky Harmon went to the WNBA to serve as head coach, and Mitch Johnson's position in the coaching staff has been significantly improved. In November 2024, Popovich left the team after a stroke, and Mickey became the acting head coach of the Spurs.

Now that Mickey has officially become the new head coach of the Spurs, are you optimistic about his coaching prospects?