Who is Erik Spoelstra? Erik Spoelstra Biography and Wiki
Erik Spoelstra (born Erik Jon Celino Spoelstra) is an American professional basketball coach who is the head coach for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
10 Quick Facts About Erik Spoelstra
- Name: Erik Spoelstra
- Age: 49 years
- Birthday: November 1
- Zodiac Sign: Scorpio
- Height: 6 feet 2 inches
- Nationality: American
- Occupation: Professional Basketball Coach
- Marital Status: Married
- Salary: $120,603.02
- Net worth: $10 million
Erik Spoelstra Age and Birthday
Spoelstra is 49 years old as of 2020. Born on November 1, 1970, in Evanson, Illinois, United States of America, he celebrates his birthday on 1 November every year. Spoelstra will be 50 years old on Nov. 1st, 2020.
Erik Spoelstra Height and Weight
Spoelstra stands at a height of 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) and Weighs 58 kg. However, details regarding his actual weight and other body measurements are currently not publicly available. We are keeping tabs and will update this information once it is out.
Erik Spoelstra Education
Born in Evanston, Illinois, Spoelstra later spent his childhood in Buffalo, New York then Portland, Oregon by the late 1970s where he attended Raleigh Hills Elementary and Whitford Jr. High School.
Spoelstra attended Jesuit High School in Beaverton, Oregon, where he excelled at point guard on the basketball team. He wore number 30 during high school and later in college in honor of then Trail Blazer Terry Porter, one of his favorite NBA players.
Before his senior year, Spoelstra participated in Sonny Vaccaro’s Nike All-Star camp in Princeton, New Jersey alongside future NBA players Alonzo Mourning, Shawn Kemp, Billy Owens, and Bobby Hurley.
Erik Spoelstra Parents
Spoelstra is the only son and the younger of two children of Jon Spoelstra, and Elisa Celino, a native of San Pablo, Laguna, Philippines. Spoelstra is also the grandson of Watson Spoelstra, a longtime sportswriter for The Detroit News.
Erik Spoelstra Wife
On September 17, 2015, Spoelstra announced his engagement to former Miami Heat cheerleader, Nikki Sapp. They married on July 22, 2016, and together they both have two children, baby boys.
Erik Spoelstra Salary
Erik Spoelstra is recorded as the sixth highest-paid coach per win. His salary is $3 million and he has a 0.510 record with the team, making his cost per win $120,603.02.
Erik Spoelstra Net Worth
Spoelstra has an estimated net worth of $10 million dollars as of 2020. This includes his assets, money, and income. His primary source of income is his career as a Television Personality. Through his various sources of income, Spoelstra has been able to accumulate a good fortune but prefers to lead a modest lifestyle.
Erik Spoelstra Measurements and Facts
Here are some interesting facts and body measurements you should know about Erik Spoelstra.
Erik Spoelstra Bio and Wiki
- Full Names: Erik Jon Celino Spoelstra
- Popular As: Spoelstra
- Gender: Male
- Occupation / Profession: Basketball coach
- Nationality: American
- Race / Ethnicity: Mixed (Asian-American)
- Religion: Not Known
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
Erik Spoelstra Birthday
- Age / How Old?: 49 (2019)
- Zodiac Sign: Scorpio
- Date of Birth: November 1, 1970 (age 49)
- Place of Birth: Evanston, Illinois, USA
- Birthday: Nov. 1st
Erik Spoelstra Body Measurements
- Body Measurements: Not Available
- Height / How Tall?: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
- Weight: Not Known
- Eye Color: Dark-Brown
- Hair Color: Black
- Shoe Size: Not Available
- Dress Size: Not Available
- Breast Size: Not Available
- Waist Size: Not Available
- Hip Size: Not Available
Erik Spoelstra Family and Relationship
- Father (Dad): Jon Spoelstra
- Mother: Elisa Celino
- Siblings (Brothers and Sisters): Not Known
- Marital Status: Married
- Wife/Spouse or Husband/Spouse: Married to Nikki Sapp
- Children: Sons (2) Daughter(s) (Not Available)
Erik Spoelstra Networth and Salary
- Net Worth: $10 million USD
- Salary: $3 million USD
- Source of Income: Basketball coach
Erik Spoelstra House and Cars
- Place of living: Miami, Florida
- Cars: Car Brand to be Updated
Erik Spoelstra Career
Spoelstra is the first partly Asian-American head coach in the history of the four major North American sports leagues and the first Asian-American head coach to win an NBA championship.
From 2001 to 2008, Spoelstra served as assistant coach and director of scouting for the team. Thereafter he was promoted to head coach. Prior to the 2010–11 season, team President Pat Riley assembled a superstar trio of free agents LeBron James and Chris Bosh joining Dwyane Wade.
While Spoelstra as head coach, the Heat made four consecutive finals appearances, with trips to 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014 NBA Finals, winning the championship in both 2012 and 2013.
After graduating from the University of Portland, he was hired and spent two years (1993–1995) in Basketball Bundesliga’s second division as a player–assistant coach for TuS Herten, a German professional basketball club based in Westphalia, Germany.
It was in this setting where Spoelstra got his first coaching job, as coach of the club’s local youth team. He began having back problems after the end of his second year with the team and contemplated having surgery.
In 1995, Spoelstra was offered another two-year contract with the club, but the NBA’s Miami Heat also offered him a position. Although both offers held appeal, he chose to take the Heat position.
Erik Spoelstra College
Spoelstra received basketball scholarship offers, and eventually accepted one from the University of Portland in his hometown. In 1989, he was named West Coast Conference freshman of the year.
Spoelstra was the Pilots’ starting point guard for four years, averaging 9.2 points, 4.4 assists, and 2.4 rebounds per game. He is a member of the school’s 1,000-point club and is among the Pilots’ career leaders in several statistical categories.
During a 1990 WCC Basketball Tournament game against Loyola Marymount, Spoelstra was on the court standing just a couple of yards away from Hank Gathers when Gathers collapsed and later died of a heart condition. Spoelstra graduated from the University of Portland in 1992 with a degree in communications.
Erik Spoelstra Miami Heat
Erik Spoelstra As Assistant Coach
Roya Vaziri, then the director of player personnel for the Heat, convinced then-general manager Dave Wohl to offer Spoelstra a position with the team. Spoelstra was hired as the Heat’s video coordinator in 1995, although at first he was not promised the position past the summer of that year.
Pat Riley was named the Heat’s head coach not long after Spoelstra’s hiring. Erik’s father, Jon Spoelstra, said, “Contractually, Riley wasn’t allowed to bring in his video guy, otherwise, Erik would have been out of a job right then.”
After two years as a video coordinator, he then served two years as an assistant coach/video coordinator. Spoelstra was promoted to assistant coach/advance scout in 1999, and later became the Heat’s assistant coach/director of scouting in 2001.
Many of Spoelstra’s colleagues attribute his ascent in the Heat coaching ranks to his strong work ethic. As an assistant coach, he was credited for improving Heat star shooting guard Dwyane Wade’s balance and jump shot after Wade’s return from the 2004 Summer Olympics.
Spoelstra won his first NBA championship as an assistant coach when the Miami Heat defeated the Dallas Mavericks in the 2006 NBA Finals.
Erik Spoelstra As Head Coach
In April 2008, Spoelstra became the head coach of the Miami Heat after Pat Riley’s decision to step down. Spoelstra was Riley’s hand-picked successor. In naming Spoelstra as head coach, Riley said:
“This game is now about younger coaches who are technologically skilled, innovative and bring fresh new ideas. That’s what we feel we are getting with Erik Spoelstra. He’s a man that was born to coach.”
Spoelstra became the first-ever Asian-American NBA head coach and the first Asian-American head coach in the history of the four major North American sports leagues. He led the Heat to the NBA Playoffs in his first year as head coach, despite the team’s league-worst record of 15-67 the previous season.
The Heat, however, were defeated in seven games by the Atlanta Hawks in the first round. Spoelstra’s team once again reached the postseason the following season, but again lost in the first round to the Boston Celtics in five games.
Expectations of the team’s success were raised significantly for the next season and beyond, after the free-agent acquisitions of LeBron James and Chris Bosh in the summer of 2010.
After the team started off the 2010–11 season with a 9–8 record, some Heat players reportedly were “frustrated” with Spoelstra, and questioned if he should remain their head coach.
Chris Bosh intimated that the team was being worked too hard and that the players would rather “chill”. LeBron James famously bumped into Spoelstra on his way to the bench during a timeout in a game.
These two issues, coupled with the relatively poor start to the season, but Spoelstra on the coaching hot seat. The team bounced-back, however, and made the playoffs while posting the second-best record in the Eastern Conference.
Spoelstra led the Heat to an appearance in the 2011 NBA Finals but lost to the Dallas Mavericks in six games. After Spoelstra failed to win a championship during his first season as head coach of the “big three”, Heat executive Pat Riley was asked if he would consider returning to coach the team.
Riley, however, turned down the idea and supported Spoelstra as the head coach going forward. Spoelstra received a $6 million contract extension in December 2011 which lasted through the 2013–14 NBA season. The following season Spoelstra again guided the team to the postseason as the two seed.
The Heat overcame a 2–1 game deficit against the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference semi-finals, and a 3–2 game deficit against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals to reach the 2012 NBA Finals despite an injury to starter Chris Bosh that forced him to miss nine straight games.
Spoelstra’s Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games to win the NBA championship. He became the first Asian-American head coach to win an NBA championship, and the second Heat head coach to win the title. He also became the only Miami Heat head coach to take the team to the NBA Finals multiple times.
During the 2012–13 season, Spoelstra was selected as head coach of the 2013 Eastern Conference All-Stars in the 2013 NBA All-Star Game, with the Heat holding the best record in the Eastern Conference at the time of selection. He later coached the Heat to a 27-game winning streak (second-longest in NBA history).
It began with a 100–85 win over the Toronto Raptors on February 3, 2013, and ended with a 97–101 loss to the Chicago Bulls on March 27, 2013. The team made the playoffs as the one seed while posting the best overall NBA regular-season record.
After sweeping the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round, the Heat won a seven-game series with the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals and advanced to face the San Antonio Spurs in the 2013 NBA Finals.
The Heat defeated the Spurs in seven games and became the first team to win two straight titles since the 2009–2010 Los Angeles Lakers. Spoelstra also became the eighth coach to lead his team to two straight championships.
On September 29, 2013, the Heat extended Spoelstra’s contract to an undisclosed multi-year deal. Details were not released, but Spoelstra was expected to receive a pay raise and a bigger role in the front office.
Spoelstra led the Heat to the 2014 NBA Finals, becoming the third coach to lead his team to four straight Finals. The Heat faced the San Antonio Spurs once again, only this time losing the series in five games.
On December 16, 2017, Spoelstra got his 455th win as the head coach of the Heat and passed Riley for most wins in franchise history, when they defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 90–85.
Erik Spoelstra Jimmy Butler
Heat’s Jimmy Butler is no locker-room cancer, says Erik Spoelstra
Amid all the whispers that Jimmy Butler is not an ideal locker-room presence, Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra says the small forward is a “very likable” guy. Per Nick Fridell of ESPN, Spoelstra dismissed rumors that Butler is a locker-room cancer.
Spoelstra on Butler: “Jimmy, despite probably what the narrative is out there, he’s a very likable guy in the locker room and I think that helps in a setting like this.”
— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) September 1, 2020
The whispers originated from the now-infamous practice session with the Minnesota Timberwolves during Butler’s stint there. Reports revealed that he talked trash to almost everyone: the young guns Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns, and even to the front office.
The tension got so heated that the Wolves had no choice but to trade Butler away to the Philadelphia 76ers. With the 76ers, Butler did well, helping the team reach the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Despite this, whispers still circulated around the league that Butler did not really mesh well with the team. Analysts believe that the 76ers have all the talent to win it all but chemistry issues prevented them from fulfilling this potential.
These fears remained when Butler joined the Heat. While Butler is a bona fide star in the league, analysts believed that his tumultuous past with the Wolves and 76ers may come to haunt the organization.
But then, as the season progressed, Butler seemed to co-exist well with his teammates and coaching staff. His friendship with rookie Tyler Herro has been well-documented.
And more importantly, the Heat are piling up the victories and are even considered the dark horse to win the elusive Larry O’Brien trophy. The Heat leads the series 1-0. Game 2 between the Bucks and the Heat will be on Wednesday.
Frequently Asked Questions About Erik Spoelstra
Who is Erik Spoelstra?
Erik Spoelstra (born Erik Jon Celino Spoelstra) is an American professional basketball coach who is the head coach for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
How old is Erik Spoelstra?
Spoelstra is an American national born on 1 November 1970, in Evanson, Illinois, USA.
How tall is Erik Spoelstra?
Spoelstra stands at a height of 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m).
Is Erik Spoelstra married?
Yes, he is married to Nikki Sapp. They got married in 2016 and together they have two children. The couple resides in Miami, FL.
How much is Erik Spoelstra worth?
Spoelstra has an approximate net worth of $10 million. This amount has been accrued from his leading roles in the sports industry.
How much does Spoelstra make?
Erik Spoelstra is recorded as the sixth highest-paid coach per win. His salary is $3 million and he has a 0.510 record with the team, making his cost per win $120,603.02.
Where does Spoelstra live?
He is a resident of Miami, Florida, USA, we shall upload pictures of his house as soon as we have them.
Is Spoelstra dead or alive?
Spoelstra is alive and in good health. There have been no reports of him being sick or having any health-related issues.
Where is Spoelstra Now?
Spoelstra is pursuing his career in sports. He is working as a basketball coach since 1993.
Erik Spoelstra Social Media Contacts
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