For the first time in nearly three decades, someone other than Gregg Popovich will be the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs. 

On Friday, the NBA franchise announced Mitch Johnson's promotion to head coach.

The decision came shortly after it was confirmed Popovich would relinquish his head coaching duties and transition to the team's full-time president of basketball operations.

Popovich has led Spurs basketball operations since 1994, balancing his executive role and coaching role for 29 years.

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Johnson's tenure with the Spurs spans nine years. He joined the Spurs' G League affiliate in Austin, Texas, in 2016. He has been a Spurs assistant coach since 2019. 

Johnson was also San Antonio’s coach in the NBA Summer League in 2022 and 2023. Johnson stepped in for Popovich for 77 games during the 2024-25 season as the five-time NBA champion recovered from what the team described as a mild stroke.

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"While my love and passion for the game remain, I’ve decided it’s time to step away as head coach," Popovich said in a statement Friday afternoon. "I’m forever grateful to the wonderful players, coaches, staff and fans who allowed me to serve them as the Spurs head coach and am excited for the opportunity to continue to support the organization, community and city that are so meaningful to me."

Johnson will be formally introduced Monday in San Antonio.

"When I took the opportunity to join the Austin Spurs over nine years ago, I had no idea that opportunity was in front of me," Johnson said at the end of the regular season. "And, so, it’s sometimes funny how your journey takes you, and sometimes the biggest moments can come from the least likely spots."

"We are thrilled for Mitch Johnson to be our next head coach," Spurs managing partner Peter J. Holt said. "Throughout his decade in the organization, we have seen that Mitch has the right values, poise and potential to lead us into the future."

Spurs star Victor Wembanyama said when the season ended that he had belief the organization would do the right thing. 

"I trust the organization ... and I also trust Mitch to grow into that role," Wembanyama said. "So, I think we are in good hands."

Johnson played at Stanford as a four-year starter before playing in the G League and in Europe. 

"I am truly grateful and honored to receive this incredible opportunity," Johnson said. "I am thankful for Coach Pop, RC, Brian and Peter trusting me to carry on our culture, and I promise to give this responsibility everything I have to make Spurs fans proud."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Cats have lived alongside humans for thousands of years, and the remains of two domestic felines found in a nearly 500-year-old Spanish shipwreck likely represent the earliest example of the animal in what is now the United States, according to a new study. 

"Cats accompanied sailors on ships where they were relied on to hunt rats and mice that were infesting ships’ holds," researchers wrote in a study published in American Antiquity last month. 

The Emanuel Point II, a Spanish conquistador ship, wrecked in Florida’s Pensacola Bay in 1559 during a hurricane. 

The shipwreck was discovered in 2006, and the researchers said the remains of an adult and juvenile cat were found in the wreckage. 

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"Cats have received limited archaeological attention because their independence limits direct insight into human societies," the researchers said. 

The study said that analyses of the two cats and other historical cat remains show the pets ranged dramatically in size from normal house cats to much smaller. 

The researchers wrote that, based on a chemical analysis of the remains, the adult cat doesn’t seem to have relied on rats for food and mainly ate a diet of fish and possibly domestic meat. 

"These pests were unintentionally introduced to the New World, and cats would have followed, hunting both native and invasive pests," the study said of rats. 

Within the U.S., early cat remains have also been found in the colonial settlements in St. Augustine, Florida, and the British colony of Jamestown in Virginia and were possibly aboard the Mayflower.  

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Cats aren’t native to the U.S. and are believed to have originated in the Middle East before they were brought to the Americas by Europeans. They were likely introduced to Europe for pest control, the scientists said. 

The researchers said they weren’t sure if the cats on the Emanuel Point II were brought on board intentionally, but study co-author John Bratten, an anthropologist at the University of West Florida, told Live Science the cats apparently ate a similar diet to the sailors, which showed that they were fed either because there weren’t enough rats or out of kindness. 

"It was interesting to think about the idea of the cat being a pet or one that was looked after by the Spanish sailors," Bratten told Live Science.

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The study said, "That cats were on board [the Emanuel Point II] suggests their primary role may have been as commensal ratters and mousers that kept the onboard rodent population in check. This does not, however, preclude the possibility that these cats were well liked and cared for by the sailors." 

Cats were also considered lucky by sailors, the researchers added. 

Today, one in three U.S. households has a pet cat.