- Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is reportedly the front-runner to succeed Steve Kerr as the next USA Basketball men’s national team coach.
- Spoelstra previously served as an assistant coach under Kerr for the men’s national team.
- He is expected to lead the team for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
- Spoelstra was recently named the NBA’s best coach in the league’s annual GM survey.
Erik Spoelstra is likely to succeed Steve Kerr as the next USA Basketball men’s national team coach ahead of the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, according to multiple reports on Thursday, Oct. 9.
ESPN, citing sources, reported the longtime Miami Heat coach is expected to be named the next Team USA head coach for this Olympic cycle. An Associated Press report labeled Spoelstra as the ‘front-runner’ for the position. He previously served as an assistant coach for the men’s national team under Kerr. He also coached the USA Select Team that trained with and against the 2020 U.S. Olympic team.
Spoelstra, 54, enters his 18th season with the Heat as the longest-tenured coach in the NBA after Gregg Popovich moved into a front office role with the San Antonio Spurs. Spoelstra is the Heat’s all-time leader in wins after beginning his career as a video coordinator in the organization.
Spoelstra’s name surfaced as the potential next USA Basketball coach on the same day he was named the NBA’s best coach in the league’s annual GM survey, generating more than half of the votes. Spoelstra was also voted the NBA’s best manager/motivator of people by the league’s general managers.
He won back-to-back NBA championships in 2012 and 2013, coaching LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, and worked as an assistant coach on the Heat’s 2006 NBA championship team as well. Spoelstra’s father, Jon, was a long-time NBA executive with the Portland Trail Blazers, Denver Nuggets, Buffalo Braves and New Jersey Nets.
USA Basketball did not immediately respond to a USA TODAY Sports request seeking official confirmation or clarification on the reports of Spoelstra’s impending hiring.