ERIK SPOELSTRA
MIAMI HEAT HEAD COACH
Erik Spoelstra is the Head Coach of the Miami Heat. On April 28, 2008, Spoelstra became the 6th Head Coach* in Heat history.
Prior to becoming the Head Coach of the Heat, Coach Spoelstra was an Assistant Coach for the team under Head Coaches Pat Riley (1997-2003, 2005-2008) and Stan Van Gundy (2003-2005), where he helped the team reach six NBA Playoff berths (1998,1999, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007), an NBA Conference Finals appearance (2005), and winning an NBA Championship (2006).
Erik Spoelstra was born on November 1, 1970, in Evanston, Illinois. He attended and played at the University of Portland, where he received a bachelor’s degree in communications. During Coach Spoelstra’s time at the University of Portland he was the starting point guard all four years and named the West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year (1989). Coach Spoelstra had a two-year professional playing career overseas in Germany. He was the first Asian American Head Coach in all four major sports leagues.
*Inclusive of Full-Time and Interim Head Coaches