8:04pm: It’s an eight-year deal, a source tells Reynolds (Twitter link). The contract is worth over $100MM, Chiang tweets, while ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski pegs that figure above $120MM (Twitter link).
7:51pm: Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has signed a long-term contract extension, according to Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press (Twitter link).
Spoelstra had been in the last year of his contract. While the exact terms of the extension are unknown, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports that it’s for more than five years at a rate of over $10MM per season (Twitter link).
Spoelstra will be one of the league’s highest-paid coaches, per Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. Head coaching salaries have risen dramatically over the past year. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich signed a five-year contract worth a reported $80MM and Pistons coach Monty Williams inked a six-year, $78.5MM deal.
Spoelstra, who has been in the Heat organization since 1997, has been the team’s head coach since the 2008/09 season and has two championships to his credit. He has also guided the franchise to the NBA Finals in four other seasons, including last season’s appearance after surviving the play-in tournament.
In total, Spoelstra has compiled a 725-506 (.589) regular season record across his 15-plus seasons in Miami, with an impressive 109-75 (.592) mark in the playoffs.
Popovich is the NBA’s only current head coach who has been with his current organization longer than Spoelstra has been with the Heat.
When he retires.. Spoelstra will be known as the greatest coach in NBA history… for context.. he’s already in the top 10 and he’s only 53 years old. Congrats coach Spo… congrats Miami Heat
Top 5 yes but not the number one bro. Calm down
you could argue he’s top 5 right now… add 20-25 years to that. Nothing to calm down about at all
Sure I could say he is top 5 right now but I can think of two coaches that are better than him throughout all time
Being 2-4 in the finals shouldn’t have him considered as a top coach all time.
you know many NBA coaches that have taken their team to 6 finals in the first 15 years of their coach career?
You know how many coaches had LeBron, Bosh and Wade?
I think he’s and excellent coach and I actually think having the big 3 helped him develop as a coach.
What he’s done since the 3 left has been far more impressive to me.
lebron bosh or wade play for the heat in the last 4 years when they went to two nba finals and had a third literally stolen from them? You know another coach that could take a take who’s scoring leader is Goran Dragic to the NBA finals?
In his first 15 years as an NBA coach, Phil Jackson got 9 rings.
There’s at least four possibly
five coaches better than Spoelstra in NBA history.
1. Pops
2. Jackson
3. Auerbach
4. Riley (his mentor)
It’s close after that but one could make a case for Spoelstra, Kerr or K.C. Jones.
Perfect. I would just switch Red and Pop
It’s hard to quantify Auerbach because the league was so small back then and he had so many great players. He did however convince all the great players he coached to sacrifice individual numbers for the good of the team.
Red was the first guy to sign a black player and a coach in the NBA. Knew basketball drills, great coach, management, visionary, bench became starters when it was their time, the Russell trade etc etc. 9 teams but every team was stacked with good players, All fundamental sound. Pop never repeated as a champion. Never two in a row.
Pops can’t coach a team without 3 HOFers… Phil quit (twice) when star players left… Red was a better exec than coach… Pat Riley is a good example (coached in 3 different era’s and styles and won with all of them)
Timmy was going to be great wherever and whomever he played for but Pops defined the culture and provided the coaching that made Parker and Ginobli Hall of Famers.
Pop did elevate everyone. He could Make any player a all star. Pop and Sloan are great for staying with one team
Loved Jerry Sloan, best coach that never won a championship.
He was and deron Williams got him fired SMH
if he elevates everyone.. why have the spurs sucked since kawhi left?
Spo does the same, he brings out the best in anyone and everyone. The Heat will never win with 6’8 Bam playing C. Like Robert Williams they get man handled out there, ragdolled I watched Derrick White out rebound him and beat him out of position for a offensive rebound for a put back win. Bam needs to be a PF. Hassan Whiteside please come back(jk). The Heat will not make it back to the finals. Jimmy’s only chance was last year but 6’8 Bam was owned by jokic, I mean they lost to Denver lol. Spo and Kerr both inherited a good situation. Plus the Spurs can’t win forever, the Celtics sucked in 79 it happens
As a diehard Celtics fan, I really loved KC Jones. Super classy guy, that his players loved. But, believe me, far from a great coach. He coached Bird, McHale, and Parish, along with Ainge, in the primes of their careers. I would also argue, he vastly shortened Bird and McHale’s careers by always playing them 40 plus minutes per game, even when they were hurt. People always want to say the 1987 Celtics might’ve beat the Lakers in the Finals, had Len Bias lived. That would’ve NEVER happened, and both Bias and Reggie Lewis would’ve sat on the bench for YEARS before they got to play, under KC, because he never trusted his young players, and would rather have veteran slugs like Fred Roberts, Darren Daye, and Marc Acres out on the floor. Jimmy Rodgers was dealt a terrible hand, in his first season, replacing Jones, when Bird played only 6 games, before double heel surgery, but at least he used his bench guys, including starting second year Reggie Lewis, in Bird’s place. If it was KC, he would’ve stuck with Fred Roberts instead. Chris Ford was a better coach than Jones, or Rodgers, and went 10 deep on his bench. The Celtics would’ve beaten Detroit in 1988, had the starting 5 not been absolutely gassed by the time the ECF rolled around, which was directly on KC Jones. Good man, great player, classy as can be. Not a top 25 coach in league history. And no way on EARTH is Popovich the greatest coach ever. Just like Belichick without Brady, “Pops” is nothing, without Tim Duncan.
Spo must have a horrible agent. HE should be the highest paid coach, over Pop. That hes not is kinda crazy.
Or maybe.. just maybe… he didn’t wanna hold people he thinks of as family hostage for an extra 10-15% on his deal? Maybe he had no intentions of ever leaving (which all involved know) and they just did this peacefully and easily? Maybe?
Maybe that’s how corporations take advantage of loyal employees?
Still means he has a bad agent.
8 years “over 120 mill” according to woj… horrible yea lol
Talk to me when he’s won five championships, made the playoffs 22 consecutive seasons and his team wins 50 or more games for 18 straight seasons.
He’s earned it. Well respected across the board. He survived Lebron James. Think about that.
He did survive that coach killer. LeBron is not smart enough to have a good coach to tell him anything and he knows that. He really has low basketball IQ. In the clutch oh no umm hot potato pass the Webber. Timeout. Oh wait. Dunk contest no way everyone is watching just me and all the blame and embarrassment will be on me. Post defense, no way I don’t want to be on a poster. Defense no way I’ll stand at half court on defense to run down court for a typical wide open dunk to pad my stats but I beat GS so I am the best ever. Me me me me I am better than everyone. 82 games haa never. Someone owning me flop
Hope he signed post divorce.
The woman always waits until you retire. You are right lol.
Pat Riley is unbelievable. What a relationship and partnership that they have developed! Wow, congrats to the whole organization. Bravo!
He is worth every penny! Wished you were coaching the Celtics!