Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra has been named head coach of the USA Basketball Men's National Team through 2028, officially taking the reins from Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr. The appointment was made by USA Basketball Men's National Team managing director Grant Hill and approved by the USA Basketball Board of Directors.
Spoelstra's selection follows a steady climb through the national team ranks. He served as head coach of the 2021 USA Basketball Men's Select Team, was a lead assistant under Kerr during the 2023 FIBA Men's World Cup, and helped guide the Americans to a fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal in Paris in 2024.
"It's an incredible honor to be named head coach of the USA Basketball Men's National Team," Spoelstra said in a statement. "Representing our country and leading world-class athletes to marquee competitions is one of the greatest privileges in sport. I look forward to carrying on the tradition of excellence and teamwork that defines USA Basketball."
Spoelstra will lead the United States at the 2027 FIBA Men's World Cup in Doha, Qatar, and at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, where the team will attempt to capture a sixth straight Olympic gold medal.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Spoelstra called the opportunity "the honor of a lifetime," noting the personal significance of coaching in Los Angeles, where his mentor, Pat Riley, became an NBA legend with the Lakers.
"When they asked me, one of the first people I thought of was Pat, because I felt that at some point he should have been the head coach for the USA program," Spoelstra said. "And then my second thought was, ‘Oh, it's going to be in L.A.' It's amazing, the serendipity of it. It's a way for me to honor him as well because it will be in L.A., where he had so much success. I feel humbled by that.
"None of this would have happened without Pat, and I'm the beneficiary of the opportunity. If I weren't part of the Miami Heat organization and worked for Pat all these years, this opportunity with USA Basketball would have never happened."
Spoelstra becomes the third coach to lead Team USA in a home Olympics, joining Bob Knight and Lenny Wilkens. He is the fifth consecutive U.S. Olympic head coach who previously served as an assistant, continuing a long-standing succession model that has defined USA Basketball's leadership.
Hill praised Spoelstra's steady influence and character, calling him "not only an outstanding coach but a great colleague, friend and father." USA Basketball CEO Jim Tooley added that Spoelstra's long tenure with one franchise and his experience with international play make him the ideal choice to guide the program through the next Olympic cycle.
The Heat coach is already familiar with the unique pressures of global competition. During the 2024 Olympics, Team USA needed late heroics from Stephen Curry to fend off France in the gold medal game after rallying from a 17-point deficit against Serbia in the semifinals. Spoelstra knows that the international field has grown stronger.
"The game is global now," Spoelstra said. "It's where it should be. Great players are coming from everywhere."
Now in his 18th season as head coach of the Miami Heat, Spoelstra is the NBA's longest-tenured coach with one team. He has led Miami to two NBA championships, six Finals appearances, and sustained success through multiple eras of roster change.
From his early days as a video coordinator in 1995 to becoming one of the league's most respected tacticians, Spoelstra's rise has mirrored the values that define both the Heat culture and USA Basketball through preparation, humility, and accountability.
"When we won in Paris, after the anthem, Steve turned to me - and he was joking - but he said, ‘Hey, good luck in '28.' I was just really appreciative of that," Spoelstra said. "Guys like Steve, Pop, and Coach K, who have been through it, they'll want to make sure that you're prepared in every way possible to represent the country and the team in an appropriate way."
Spoelstra's appointment is subject to approval by the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee. The United States has won 17 Olympic gold medals in men's basketball and five FIBA World Championships, most recently in 2014.
2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.