Erik Spoelstra

Erik Spoelstra begins his 16th season as head coach of the HEAT and his 29th as a member of the organization. Since being elevated to his current position on April 28, 2008, Spoelstra has rewarded the faith that HEAT President Pat Riley showed in him by garnering a 704-491 regular season record, a 109-75 postseason mark, 12 postseason appearances, nine division titles, six conference championships and guiding the franchise to a pair of NBA championships. Since his ascension to head coach, Miami has the third-highest regular season and fourth-highest postseason winning percentages in the NBA (both second in the Eastern Conference). In February 2022, Spoelstra was chosen as one of the 15 Greatest Coaches in NBA history as part of the league’s 75th Anniversary Season celebration. The list was selected by a panel of 43 current and former NBA head coaches in collaboration with the National Basketball Coaches Association and Executive Director & General Counsel David Fogel.In 15 seasons at the helm, Spoelstra has already established his place in the HEAT record book as the winningest coach in franchise history. He holds the franchise postseason records for victories (109), winning percentage (.592), series won (23) and games coached (184). In regular season play he ranks first in victories (704), games coached (1,195) and winning percentage (.589). Spoelstra, who passed Riley on Miami’s all-time victory list with win number 455 on Dec. 16, 2017, has also been honored as the NBA’s Eastern Conference Coach of the Month a franchise-record nine times.Since replacing Riley on the HEAT bench 15 years ago, Spoelstra has seen the expectations for his team change dramatically from the time he was appointed head coach until now. When he inherited the head coaching reins in 2008 he was given the task of improving a young team that had been ravaged by injuries the previous season and had won just 15 games. Two years later, after the summer of 2010 in which Miami re-signed Dwyane Wade and acquired All-Stars LeBron James and Chris Bosh, he found himself coaching a highly-talented, veteran group that was the most scrutinized team in the NBA. Throughout his tenure he has remained a steadying influence for his team and its paid huge dividends in return. When the HEAT defeated Indiana in the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals they became just the third franchise in NBA history to make four consecutive NBA Finals appearances, joining the Celtics and Lakers. It also made them at the time just one of 10 franchises in the four major North American sports leagues to make four consecutive trips to the league championship. Individually, Spoelstra became just the fourth head coach in NBA history to lead his team to four consecutive Finals appearances joining Red Auerbach, K.C. Jones and Pat Riley, all of whom have been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame.

Spoelstra, who currently sits in 11th place on the NBA’s all-time postseason winning percentage list (minimum 50 games coached) and fourth among active head coaches, joined a very elite fraternity when he led the HEAT to a seven-game series win over the San Antonio Spurs in the 2013 NBA Finals. Upon capturing the 2013 NBA Championship he became just the 13th head coach in NBA history to have won multiple championships and only the eighth to win a championship in consecutive seasons. In regular season play, he’s currently ranked 20th on the NBA’s all-time victories list and 15th all-time in regular season win percentage (minimum 500 games coached).

Since he took over the HEAT in 2008, no coach has recorded more playoff victories than Spoelstra’s 109 and his 23 postseason series won are tied with Golden State’s Steve Kerr for the most by an individual the past 15 seasons. Under Spoelstra, the HEAT has advanced to the playoffs in 12 of his 15 seasons and have won 23 of 33 postseason series (.697 winning percentage), including a franchise-record 11 consecutive series from 2012-14. Spoelstra’s teams have a 23-13 (.639) record when having an opponent on the brink of elimination, including a 13-3 (.813) mark at the Kaseya Center, and a 12-10 (.545) mark when they are on the brink of elimination. One of the keys to that success has been Miami’s dominance at the home under Spoelstra. In his 15 seasons, Spoelstra’s regular season record at the Kaseya Center is a sterling 399-194 (.673) and his postseason record at home is an even better 59-24 (.711). The HEAT has also proven to be able to win away from home, evidenced by five straight seasons from 2009-14 that Miami posted a winning road record, a first in franchise history. Additionally, Miami won at least one postseason road game in 23 consecutive series from 2011-20, the second best mark in NBA history.

The 2022-23 season saw Spoelstra lead the HEAT to the NBA Finals for the sixth time in the last 13 seasons, tied with Golden State for the most Finals appearances in that span. Additionally, he guided Miami to a Southeastern Division championship, his ninth as a head coach, and its fourth consecutive postseason berth. The HEAT entered the playoffs as the eighth-seed and then went on to upset both top-seeded Milwaukee and second-seeded Boston, eliminating both teams in their own arenas. He also reached a personal milestone during the regular season as he captured his 700th career win on Mar. 22, 2023 against the Knicks. The previous season Spoelstra led Miami to the best record in the Eastern Conference and another the Southeast Division championship. Miami came within one game of earning another trip to the NBA Finals, dropping a seven-game series to Boston in the Conference Finals. In December of that season he was named NBA Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for a franchise-record ninth time and in February he served as head coach in the NBA All-Star Game for the second time in his career.

Adaptability has long been a strength of Spoelstra and never was it more important than the 2019-20 season when he navigated his team through the many challenges of balancing the pandemic-interrupted season on the court while also championing the HEAT’s fight for social justice off the court. Spoelstra’s attention to detail was crucial as he guided the HEAT on an improbable run to its sixth NBA Finals appearance. The HEAT captured the Southeast Division championship for the ninth time in franchise history and entered the playoffs as the number five seed in the East. Miami then proceeded to sweep fourth-seed Indiana in the opening round, eliminate top-seeded Milwaukee in five games in the Conference Semifinals and defeat Boston in six games in the Conference Finals before dropping the NBA Finals to the Lakers in six games.

In a career highlighted by multiple championships and Finals appearances, the 2016-17 campaign might have been Spoelstra’s greatest coaching job. Despite leading the league in games missed due to injury, Spoelstra guided the HEAT to the greatest in-season turnaround in NBA history and as a result shared the National Basketball Coaches Association inaugural Michael H. Goldberg Coach of the Year Award with Mike D’Antoni. After compiling an 11-30 (.268) record at the halfway point of the season, the HEAT completely reversed course going 30-11 (.732) over the final 41 games to finish the season at .500. Previously, no team in NBA history that was at least 19 games under .500, at any point during the season, had ever managed to end the season at .500. Miami finished with the most wins (41) in league history of any team that had been at least 19 games under .500 at any point in a season. The HEAT’s second half turnaround was highlighted by a 13-game winning streak from Jan. 17-Feb. 10, the franchise’s third-longest winning streak and the longest in NBA history by any team that was at least 19 games under .500.

Erik Spoelstra Coach of the Month Honors

Month Team Record
March 2010 Miami HEAT 12-3 (.800)
December 2010 Miami HEAT 15-1 (.938)
February 2012 Miami HEAT 11-2 (.846)
February 2013 Miami HEAT 12-1 (.923)
March 2013 Miami HEAT 17-1 (.944)
February 2014 Miami HEAT 9-1 (.900)
February 2017 Miami HEAT 8-3 (.727)
January 2018 Miami HEAT 10-5 (.667)
December 2021 Miami HEAT 10-5 (.667)

The 2013-14 season saw the HEAT capture their fourth straight Eastern Conference Championship, fourth straight Southeast Division title and their sixth straight postseason appearance, tying the franchise record for consecutive postseason berths. Spoelstra added to his individual accolades capturing Coach of the Month honors for the month of February after guiding Miami to a 9-1 record. On Feb. 23, he notched his 300th career victory against Chicago in just his 448th game, reaching that milestone in fewer games than any coach in franchise history.

After guiding Miami to its second NBA crown in 2012, Spoelstra and his team knew they would get everyone’s best shot on a daily basis during the 2012-13 season and what the HEAT accomplished under Spoelstra was one of the greatest seasons in NBA history. It was a season filled with highlights from participating in a preseason tour in China to ending with a championship celebration on the floor of the Kaseya Center on June 20, 2013.

Spoelstra guided the HEAT to a franchise-record 66-win regular season which included a 27-game winning streak from Feb. 3-Mar. 25, the second longest single-season streak in NBA history. In large part due to the winning streak, the HEAT finished the second half of the 2012-13 season with a 38-3 record and lost just one game each in the months of February, March and April. The 17-1 record in March set a franchise record for victories in any month. As a result of the streak, Spoelstra was named the NBA Eastern Conference Coach of the Month in both February and March becoming the first HEAT coach to receive the honors in consecutive months. The record-setting season also helped Spoelstra earn the honor of coaching the Eastern Conference at the 2013 NBA All-Star Game, a first in his career.

The 2012 championship culminated a compressed 2011-12 season in which Miami went 46-20 and captured its second consecutive Southeast Division title. The regular season was highlighted by a nine-game win streak (Feb. 10-Mar. 1) with each victory by double-digits. During the streak the HEAT became the first team to win road games on three consecutive nights (Feb. 12-14) since December of 1979 and the first to win each of those contests by double-digits since the 1970-71 season.

Miami’s success during the 2011-12 campaign was keyed by its defense as the HEAT finished ranked in the top five in field goal percentage defense for the third straight year. The HEAT also proved dominant at home, posting a 28-5 record, which included a 17-game home winning streak, the second longest in franchise history. The 28 home victories tied for the most in the league and the .848 home winning percentage is the third best single-season mark in franchise history.

Spoelstra led Miami to a 58-24 regular season record, a Southeast Division title and an Eastern Conference championship in 2010-11. The 58 wins mark the fourth best total in franchise history and Miami’s 28 road wins tied for the most in the NBA in 2010-11 and rank third in HEAT history. Spoelstra earned NBA Eastern Conference Coach of the Month honors in December after guiding the HEAT to a 15-1 record, including a perfect 10-0 mark on the road. The 10 road victories in December set a franchise record for any month and the HEAT established an NBA record for most consecutive road wins in a calendar month. Defense was once again the stalwart of the HEAT’s success as Miami led the NBA in point differential, finished second in defensive field goal percentage and sixth in scoring defense.

After an impressive rookie campaign, Spoelstra guided Miami to a 47-35 record in 2009-10. Under his leadership the HEAT closed the season by winning 18 of its final 22 games, including a 12-3 record in March which earned him NBA Eastern Conference Coach of the Month honors. The 2009-10 season was one of its best defensive seasons for Miami as the HEAT allowed the fewest field goals in the NBA and finished second in both points allowed and defensive field goal percentage.

Erik Spoelstra Head Coaching Record

Season Team Record Finish Playoffs
2008-09 Miami HEAT 43-39 (.524) 3rd/Southeast 3-4 (.429)
2009-10 Miami HEAT 47-35 (.573) 3rd/Southeast 1-4 (.200)
2010-11 Miami HEAT 58-24 (.707) 1st/Southeast 14-7 (.667)
2011-12 Miami HEAT 46-20 (.697) 1st/Southeast 16-7 (.696)
2012-13 Miami HEAT 66-16 (.805) 1st/Southeast 16-7 (.696)
2013-14 Miami HEAT 54-28 (.659) 1st/Southeast 13-7 (.650)
2014-15 Miami HEAT 37-45 (.451) 3rd/Southeast   0-0 (.000)
2015-16 Miami HEAT 48-34 (.585) 1st/Southeast 7-7 (.500)
2016-17 Miami HEAT 41-41 (.500) 3rd/Southeast 0-0 (.000)
2017-18 Miami HEAT 44-38 (.537) 1st/Southeast 1-4 (.200)
2018-19 Miami HEAT 39-43 (.476) Tied-2nd/Southeast   0-0 (.000)
2019-20 Miami HEAT 44-29 (.603) 1st/Southeast 14-7 (.667)
2020-21 Miami HEAT 40-32 (.556) 2nd/Southeast   0-4 (.000)
2021-22 Miami HEAT 53-29 (.646) 1st/Southeast 11-7 (.611)
2022-23 Miami HEAT 44-38 (.537) 1st/Southeast 13-10 (.565)
TOTALS (15 Seasons) 704-491 (.589) 109-75 (.592)

During his rookie season, Spoelstra led Miami to its greatest single-season improvement. He inherited a 15-win team and directed it to a 28-win improvement, marking the greatest improvement by a rookie head coach in NBA history, bettering the previous record of a 20-win improvement by Chicago’s Ed Badger during the 1976-77 season. It also marked the seventh- best single-season improvement in NBA history by any coach. As a result of a 43-win season, the most by a head coach in his first year guiding the HEAT, Spoelstra led Miami to the 2009 NBA Playoffs. The 2009 postseason appearance made Miami just the second team in NBA history to win 15-or-fewer games one year and make the postseason the next, joining the 1968- 69 San Diego Rockets.

Before taking over the reigns as the sixth head coach in HEAT history, Spoelstra had served Miami in a number of roles in his first 13 years. He was originally hired as video coordinator and over the years was promoted to assistant coach/video coordinator, assistant coach/advance scout and assistant coach/director of scouting before ascending to head coach. He made a name for himself around the league with his game preparation and superb attention to detail. In his seven seasons as the HEAT’s assistant coach/director of scouting, he had the primary role of developing game plans for upcoming opponents. To that end, he coordinated the video staff and advance scouts while overseeing the development of scouting reports and videos.

Spoelstra, who helped design and integrate a proprietary statistical database and scouting software for the HEAT, has earned a strong reputation as a teacher over the years by heading the HEAT’s Individual Player Development Program. As an assistant coach, where he also served for three seasons (2005-07) as the head coach of the HEAT’s summer league team, he worked tirelessly with many of Miami’s young players in areas of skill development and shooting. This consistent emphasis of fundamentals and teaching has helped Miami earn a reputation for having one of the best development programs in the NBA. It’s that reputation as a teacher that led USA Basketball to select him as the head coach of the 2020 USA Select Team that helped prepare the US Senior National Team for the 2020 Olympic Games where they once again captured the gold-medal. Spoelstra’s journey with Team USA continues as he was named an Assistant Coach for the 2022-24 USA Men’s National Basketball Team, where he will aid Head Coach Steve Kerr in pursuit of gold at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.

In 1992, he graduated from the University of Portland with a degree in communications. While attending Portland, Spoelstra was the starting point guard for four years and was named the West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year in 1989. Upon graduating he spent two years as a player/coach for Tus Herten, a team in the professional sports league of Germany.

In July 2009, Spoelstra embarked on what would be the first of four trips back to his native Philippines. In each of these trips, he has hosted basketball and coaches’ clinics, promoted the importance of education, healthy living and wellness, while being able to reach close to 10,000 underprivileged youth through these efforts. In 2011, the nine-day program in Manila was the largest NBA FIT event ever hosted in Southeast Asia under the NBA Cares umbrella. During the summer of 2012, Spoelstra expanded this program to include the country of Singapore. Spoelstra’s commitment to help grow the game of basketball globally also includes serving as head coach for Team World in the NBA Africa Game 2017 in Johannesburg, South Africa as part of Basketball Without Borders Africa in August 2017.

Raised in Portland, OR, Spoelstra, who was inducted into the Jesuit High School Athletic Hall of Fame in September 2009, is the first Asian/Filipino-American head coach in any of the major North American sports leagues.

Spoelstra is not the only member of his family to have a successful career in professional sports. His father, Jon Spoelstra, was a long-time NBA executive who guided the Portland Trail Blazers, Denver Nuggets, Buffalo Braves and New Jersey Nets and his grandfather, Watson, was a Detroit Tigers beat writer for many years. In his free time, Spoelstra enjoys spending time with his children Santiago, Dante and Ruby and their dog, Rosie.