Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade offered a strong endorsement of longtime Heat coach Erik Spoelstra as this season’s NBA Coach of the Year.
Spoelstra has delivered consistency over the course of his career coaching the Heat, with Wade noting Spoelstra’s talents during the current campaign.
“People are bored with Spo’s greatness, and it sucks because I think right now you’re talking about Coach of the Year,” said Wade, who spent most of his NBA career with Spoelstra as his head coach. “We’ve said it multiple times, but if there’s any year that he has shown that he can coach his face off, it’s this year.”
Entering the annual All-Star break, Spoelstra has led the Heat this season to a tie for the best record in the Eastern Conference with the Chicago Bulls. The Heat’s 38-21 record helps explain why Spoelstra was selected to coach Team Durant in Sunday’s All-Star Game.
Spoelstra has quietly built an incredible legacy since taking over the Heat head coaching role in 2008. Now in his 14th season, Spoelstra has compiled a regular season record of 645-445 (.592).
Yet, Spoelstra has had a hand in all three of the Heat’s NBA titles. During the 2005-06 season, he was an assistant coach under Pat Riley when they came back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Dallas Mavericks in six games.
Then, under incredible pressure coaching the so-called “Heatles” that were led by Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh, he led the team to four straight finals appearances. In 2012 and 2013, he coached the Heat to consecutive league titles.
Spoelstra’s continued success is one reason why he was recently named one the NBA’s top 15 coaches of all time, joining his mentor Riley on that prestigious list.
While Spoelstra no doubt takes pride in that recognition, he remains more focused on simply getting his job done to the best of his ability.
Wade was a key factor in Spoelstra’s success for many years and clearly remains one of his biggest fans.
