According to consistent media reports, the Miami Heat have agreed to a contract extension with head coach Erik Spoelstra. The 53-year-old is said to have extended his contract for eight years – with record salaries.
Will continue to guide the Miami Heat’s fortunes from the sidelines in the future: Head Coach Erik Spoelstra. NBAE via Getty Images
According to ESPN, Spoelstra and the Heat have agreed on a new working document that ties the successful coach to the franchise for eight more years. The deal is said to be worth over $120 million – no coach in US sports has ever signed a higher-paying contract.
Spoelstra, who was active as a player for two years in Germany in the second Bundesliga with TuS Herten, has held the position of head coach at the Miami Heat since 2008. He previously worked his way up the organization from video analyst to head coach; his career with the Heat began in 1995. He is now considered one of the best head coaches in the NBA and enjoys the highest respect across the league.
He led the super team around LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to two championships in the early 2010s – also thanks to the backing of Heat president Pat Riley, whose successor was Spoelstra. James reportedly wanted to get rid of Spoelstra early in their time together in Miami, but Riley stuck with Spoelstra. That should pay off.
Twelve playoffs in 15 years as Heat coach
Even after James’ departure in 2014, Spoelstra led Miami to the NBA Finals twice, in which the newly formed team around Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo had to admit defeat – in 2020 against the Lakers (2-4) and in 2023 against the Denver Nuggets (1-4). In his 15 seasons as Heat coach, Miami reached the play-offs twelve times under Spoelstra, and the Heat are also on course for the play-offs in the current season, his 16th.
The team’s appreciation is now reflected in the record contract – although Spurs coach Gregg Popovich will receive a higher annual salary in the NBA ($19 million per season according to ESPN), the overall volume of the new contract sets new standards.
Among the head coaches still active in the best basketball league in the world, only Popovich (1,371) and Pacers coach Rick Carlisle (917) have collected more wins in the regular season than Spoelstra (725). He ranks 19th in league history. His overall record is 725 wins and 506 defeats in the regular season (win rate: 58.9 percent) as well as 184 wins and 109 defeats in the play-offs (win rate: 59, 2 percent).
2024-01-10 16:34:47
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