MIAMI, FL – USA Basketball announced today that Miami HEAT Head Coach Erik Spoelstra will serve as head coach of the 2021 USA Select Team. The USA Select Team will help train against the USA Men’s National Team in Las Vegas. Joining Spoelstra on the coaching staff are Mark Few (Gonzaga) and Jamahl Mosley (Dallas).
“I’m honored to serve and assist with the USA Select Team to help prepare the National Team for the Olympic Games in Tokyo,” said HEAT Head Coach Erik Spoelstra. “I want to thank Pop, Jerry and Sean for the opportunity to serve our country and work with a great group of coaches and players.”
Spoelstra, who just completed his 13th season as head coach of the HEAT and his 26th as a member of the organization, is the all-time winningest coach in franchise history and has accumulated seven division titles, five conference championships and a pair of NBA championships. The eight-time NBA Eastern Conference Coach of the Month holds regular season team records for wins (607), games coached (1,031) and winning percentage (.589). He has recorded 692 total career wins (607 regular season & 85 postseason), the fifth-most by a head coach with a single franchise in NBA history.
The Los Angeles Lakers have commissioned a statue to honor Pat Riley
“We’re very fortunate to have highly regarded coaches like Erik, Mark and Jamahl accept the responsibility of coaching the 2021 USA Select Team and helping prepare our national team for the Tokyo Olympics,” said USA National Team managing director Jerry Colangelo. “Erik has been extremely successful in Miami and won back-to-back NBA championships, and we’re excited to have him involved and become part of USA Basketball’s remarkable coaching legacy. It’s going to be really helpful to have all three coaches involved in this year’s Las Vegas training camp.”
Earlier this season, he coached in his 1,000th career game on March 17, becoming just the third coach in NBA history to coach at least 1,000 games with one franchise, joining Gregg Popovich (Spurs) and Al Attles (Warriors). He has secured 11 seasons of at least a .500 record, tying for the most in the NBA since he became head coach in 2008-09.
Spoelstra has led Miami to the playoffs in 10 of his 13 seasons, having never missed the postseason in consecutive seasons since he took the helm. His .594 postseason winning percentage is the seven-highest in NBA history as he has the most playoff wins (85) and tied the most postseason series wins (18) in the league since becoming coach.
One thought