"It was an easy decision and felt super confident in the human being that he is," says Spurs GM Brian Wright of taking interim tag off.

The San Antonio Spurs, on Monday, officially passed the torch from Gregg Popovich to Mitch Johnson. In an emotional press conference featuring appearances from all the usual suspects, with Dejounte Murray, Stephon Castle, and David Robinson in attendance, Popovich, flanked by Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan, stepped into his new role as "El Jefe."

While no one expected Popovich to announce his retirement plans early and accept a year-long retirement tour, his departure from the sidelines was far more abrupt than he or anyone would've intended.