"He's the guy that came and got me out of jail when I was 15" - Dejounte Murray reveals how Mitch Johnson ended up as the Spurs' head coach
Many were surprised to see Dejounte Murray attend Mitch Johnson's introductory press conference as the San Antonio Spurs' new head coach. Murray is no longer with the Spurs and now plays for the New Orleans Pelicans, and he had to travel all the way to San Antonio just to be with Johnson on the biggest day of his NBA coaching career.
But those who followed Murray's basketball career right from the start know what Mitch meant and still means to Dejounte. During his recent appearance on "The Pivot Podcast", the 28-year-old guard explained their story.
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"He's the reason why I'm here right now," said Murray. "Mitch Johnson is the reason why I'm here right now. He's the guy who came and got me out of jail when I was 15 with my uncle and my uncle's best friends. Mitch Johnson created an AAU team for Dejounte Murray called A+. We went around the country. That's how I built my name. That's how I became a top recruit. That's how I got these scholarships. Because of Mitch Johnson."
Mitch is the son of former NBA player John Johnson, who played 12 seasons for the Seattle SuperSonics. Like his dad, he played basketball and starred for Seattle's O'Dea High School before playing four seasons at Stanford. After he went undrafted in the 2009 NBA Draft, he tried his luck with the Tulsa 66ers, hoping to take the G-League route to the NBA.
But after three years spent with the 66ers and stints in Europe, he decided to pursue coaching and returned to Seattle. That's how he met Murray's uncle, Terry Thompson. During that time, the teenage Dejounte was in and out of juvenile detention until Mitch intervened at Uncle Terry's request. The rest, as they say, is history.
"I put the work in," added Murray. "But he opened his house. He took responsibility as a father, as a big brother when he didn't have to. He was best friends with my uncle. He created a team for me, an AAU team for me.
Dejounte and Mitch came to the Spurs in a package deal
In 2016, the San Antonio Spurs drafted Dejounte 29th overall in the NBA Draft. Knowing about his turbulent background, the Spurs decided that his transition to the NBA might be easier if they also brought in the man who helped change his life. And so Johnson was hired to the Spurs' staff and assigned to the G-League as an assistant.
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"We went into San Antonio as a package together," added Dejounte. "They'll tell you, we went in together. And there were plans for him, not because of Dejounte, but because Mitch Johnson is smart, Mitch Johnson understands the game, knows the game. He knows how to run a team. And that's why I'm not surprised where he's at. He had a plan and stuck with his plan. He went to the G-League, played the development, he was behind the bench, he got the bench now. He's the head coach."
While Murray worked from the bottom to become an All-Star player in 2022, Johnson also rose from the ranks in the organization with his talent and hard work. And so, even after Dejounte was traded, San Antonio kept Johnson on their bench. After Gregg Popovich suffered a stroke, Mitch was appointed interim coach and last month, the organization awarded him the ultimate prize - the head coaching job of the Spurs.
Related: Dejounte Murray recalls almost being murdered when he was a kid - "If it wasn't for that moment, an 8-year-old would've got killed in a crossfire"
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
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