Erik Spoelstra

Erik Spoelstra
Spoelstra before the 2022 NBA All-Star Game
Miami Heat
PositionHead coach
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1970-11-01) November 1, 1970 (age 53)
Evanston, Illinois, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
High schoolJesuit (Beaverton, Oregon)
CollegePortland (1988–1992)
NBA draft1992: undrafted
Playing career1993–1995
PositionPoint guard
Coaching career1993–present
Career history
As player:
1993–1995TuS Herten
As coach:
1993–1995TuS Herten (assistant)
19972008Miami Heat (assistant)
2008–presentMiami Heat
Career highlights and awards
As player:
  • WCC Freshman of the Year (1989)

As head coach:

As assistant coach:

Erik Jon Spoelstra (/ˈsplstrə/ SPOHL-strə; born November 1, 1970),[1][2] nicknamed "Coach Spo", is an American professional basketball coach who is the head coach for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and an assistant coach for the U.S. Men’s Basketball Team. Spoelstra is widely regarded as one of the best coaches in the league and one of the greatest of all time.[3][4] He has won two NBA championships as the head coach of the Heat. A partially Filipino American, Spoelstra is the first partially Asian American head coach in the history of the four major North American sports leagues[5][6] and the first Asian American head coach to win an NBA title.[6]

Spoelstra played college basketball with the Portland Pilots before playing professionally and coaching in Germany. He served as assistant coach and director of scouting for the Heat from 2001 to 2008, during which time the team won the 2006 NBA Finals.[7] He was promoted to head coach in the 2008–09 season. The Heat have made six NBA Finals appearances during Spoelstra's tenure, winning consecutive championships in 2012 and 2013.

  1. ^ Terrado, Reuben (August 2, 2012). "Pamahiin in Spo's family: Mom skipped Finals, for fear of jinxing Heat bid". SPIN.ph.
  2. ^ Winderman, Ira (April 29, 2008). "Spoelstra has been around the game since childhood". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on November 1, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2013.
  3. ^ "Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra Named to Top 15 Coaches in NBA History". NBA.com.
  4. ^ "Heat's improbable Finals run proves what we already knew: Erik Spoelstra is an all-time great NBA coach". May 31, 2023.
  5. ^ Arnovitz, Kevin (February 13, 2012). "Erik Spoelstra Impressed By Jeremy Lin". ESPN. Archived from the original on November 3, 2013. Retrieved June 27, 2013.
  6. ^ a b Medina, Andrei (June 22, 2012). "Fil-Am Coach Erik Spoelstra Steers Heat to Historic NBA Win". GMA News. Retrieved June 27, 2013.
  7. ^ "Riley Steps Down, Spoelstra Named Head Coach". NBA.com. April 28, 2008. Archived from the original on July 8, 2013. Retrieved June 26, 2013.

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