Erik Spoelstra, who has been with the Miami Heat for the longest time, has agreed to a contract extension that will ensure he will continue to set team records for many years to come. According to a person with knowledge of the agreement, who spoke to The Associated Press on Tuesday on condition of anonymity because the terms were not made public, Spoelstra signed an eight-year extension worth roughly $120 million, the largest contract in NBA history in terms of total value for a coach. His current deal expires after this season.
With 28 seasons as the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs, Gregg Popovich, holds the record for the second-longest tenure in the league with Spoelstra. Only three coaches have won more games with one team than Spoelstra has with the Heat: Popovich with the Spurs, Jerry Sloan with Utah, and Red Auerbach with Boston. Spoelstra’s 725 regular-season victories rank 19th in NBA history.
In addition to being the assistant coach for USA Basketball in this Olympic cycle, Spoelstra will work under head coach Steve Kerr at the Paris Games this summer. It is highly likely that Spoelstra will be one of the leading contenders to take over the Olympic team for the following cycle, which will conclude at the Los Angeles Games in 2028. Prior to the start of the season, Spoelstra stated, “We’re about the sweat and the grind. It’s about when nobody is watching. We have a saying at the Heat: ‘There’s a beauty in the grind, there’s a beauty in the sweat.’ That’s about what happens behind the scenes.”
