Erik Spoelstra will be staying put with the Miami Heat for the forseeable future.
The Heat coach has agreed to a long-term extension with the team, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Spoelstra previously had only one year left on his contract.
Spoelstra, 48, is entering his 12th season as the head coach of the Heat, and he is the league's second-longest tenured active coach with one team, behind only Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs. Spoelstra has a 523-363 career regular season record; a.590 regular season winning percentage that jumps up to .602 in the playoffs, and he has led the Heat to four NBA Finals appearances and two titles (2012, 2013). The Heat have had a winning record in 9 of Spoelstra's 12 seasons at the helm.
Spoelstra is obviously grateful for the opportunity that the Heat have provided him, and he's not so sure that he would have been afforded the same opportunity with other organizations.
"I would've been fired several times if I was within another organization," Spoelstra said earlier this year. "… But I was given an opportunity to grow, to learn."
Now that he's locked up long-term, Spoelstra will be tasked with turning the Jimmy Butler-led Heat back into a legitimate contender after they failed to make the qualify for the playoffs last season.
Spoelstra has developed a reputation as one of the league's best-prepared coaches, consistently maximizing and developing his talent. Beyond the Big Three era with Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh, the Heat have succeeded with a number of reclamation projects, including undervalued and overlooked minor league players.
Miami missed the playoffs a season ago but acquired All-Star guard Jimmy Butler in the offseason to reshape a roster that is hopeful to return to the postseason for the ninth time in Spoelstra's tenure.
Spoelstra, 48, has spent his entire professional life with the Heat. He started in the video room and worked his way up as an advance scout and eventually the assistant coaching staff before replacing Heat president Pat Riley in 2008 as head coach.
