The Miami Heat are heading back to the NBA Finals.
After dismantling the No. 1 seed Milwaukee Bucks and No. 5 seed New York Knicks, they held off the No. 2 seed Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. Jimmy Butler and Co. are just the second No. 8 seed to ever make the NBA Finals, following in the footsteps of the Knicks in the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season.
Led by head coach Erik Spoelstra, the Heat have been a steady force in the NBA throughout the 21st century. The franchise has now made the NBA Finals in seven of the last 18 seasons.
Here’s a deep dive of the 52-year-old Spoelstra, including his history as a player and coach:
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How long has Erik Spoelstra been coach for the Miami Heat?
Spoelstra took over for Pat Riley as head coach of the Heat before the 2008-09 season. He’s been at the helm for 15 seasons, coaching star players like Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Chris Bosh and now Jimmy Butler.
Did Erik Spoelstra play in the NBA?
Sports
No.
Spoelstra played college basketball for the University of Portland from 1988 to 1992, averaging 9.2 points and 4.4 assists per game as the Pilots’ starting point guard.
After graduating from UP, Spoelstra briefly worked for Nike boxing shoes before heading overseas. He joined TuS Herten, a German-based team in Basketball Bundesliga's second division, as a player-assistant coach for two seasons.
Following his run in Germany, Spo joined the Heat as a video coordinator in 1995 and he’s been with the organization ever since.
What is Erik Spoelstra’s regular season record?
In 15 seasons, Spoelstra has a 704-419 regular season record.
He has the 20th-most regular season wins ever by a coach, trailing only Gregg Popovich, Doc Rivers, Rick Carlisle and Nate McMillan among active coaches from this season (Rivers and McMillan were fired).
What is Erik Spoelstra’s playoff record?
Entering the 2023 NBA Finals, Spoelstra has a 108-71 career record in the playoffs.
The Heat have made the playoffs in 13 of his 15 seasons, winning at least one round in eight of those postseasons.
How many championships has Erik Spoelstra won?
The Heat have won two titles with Spoelstra in charge – back-to-back in 2012 and 2013.
With the aforementioned trio of Wade, James and Bosh, Spo helped lead Miami to four consecutive NBA Finals appearances from 2011 to 2014.
After a brief team makeover, the Heat once again reached the NBA Finals in the 2020 bubble playoffs before losing to James and his Los Angeles Lakers. Now, with the core of Butler and Bam Adebayo, Spo has Miami back on the precipice of a title.
