While Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra was pleased with his team’s 112-108 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday, he was even more enthused about a pre-game moment on Kids’ Day.
That was when he got to carry his young son during the playing of the National Anthem.
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The 48-year-old Spoelstra and his wife Nikki are the parents of nine-month-old Santiago, who was born last Mar. 25. The child is the first for the couple, with Spoelstra having missed a Heat game in Indiana in order to be present for his son’s birth.
The couple married in July 2016 following a long relationship that began during the time his wife was a member of the Heat’s dance team from 2005 to 2008.
Currently in his 11th season as the Heat’s head coach, Spoelstra has compiled a regular season record of 505-340 (.598). The highlight of his long tenure was four consecutive trips to the NBA Finals from 2011 to 2014, which included capturing league titles in both 2012 and 2013.
Shifting back to the present, the win over Memphis put the Heat over the .500 mark for only the third time this season at 21-20 and marked the team’s second consecutive win. The victory was welcomed because of the challenge that lies ahead over the next five weeks, when Miami plays 12 of its next 16 games away from American Airlines Arena. That grind begins on Tuesday night with the first of four consecutive road contests, when the Heat travel to Milwaukee.
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