At the end of the day, it is about loyalty for some. And Erik Spoelstra is one of them. The star head coach entered the Heat family when he was 24 and now he is 53-years-old. He stuck with the organization for close to 30 years. He worked in the video room, worked as a scout, and as an assistant coach to Pat Riley and finally worked his way up to head coach in 2008. Now, for his loyalty and successful stint as an HC, he became the highest-paid coach in the NBA.

Earlier the conversations about the coach’s salary didn’t happen without the inclusion of the San Antonio Spurs HC Gregg Popovich. Similar to Spoelstra’s story, the Spurs management has put their entire trust in the 74-year-old man. He entered his 27th season as the coach of the Spurs. He held the privilege of being the highest-paid coach with an $80 million five-year contract. However, the Miami Heat HC pushed the veteran back with his new $120 million contract.

Erik Spoelstra set to receive the highest coach’s salary in the NBA

Erik Spoelstra has had an incredible run as the head coach of the Heat with two championships. Both of them come from the super team consisting of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. Not only that, he could create history last season. In the 2023 postseason, the Heat came out as a lethal team.

If at all had Jimmy Butler & Co. won the Finals against the Denver Nuggets, it would have been the first eight-seeded team to win the championship.

Moreover, the star head coach has reaped the benefits of having an illustrious career in the next season. Three months into the 2023-24 season, the Heat management extended Spoelstra’s contract with a whopping $120 million. Along with it, a Sun Sentinel report stated the contract was extended over eight years. This meant the Heat would pay roughly around $15 million per season for the next eight years.

In hindsight, the annual salary is comparatively one million less than the current paycheck of Popovich, who reportedly receives $16 million per season.

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With the recent contract, Spoelstra will receive the second-highest annual salary for a coach.

Spoelstra’s 16-season run as the Heat HC

In his career with the Heat, Spoelstra has won three championships, two of them came under his coaching. One came during his assistant coach stint with Pat Riley in 2006.

Moreover, he took the team to six NBA Finals in his career, four of which came in consecutive seasons with the LeBron James-led super team. Two of them came in the Jimmy Butler-Bam Adebayo era. The numbers are not over yet, as the Heat has put up a great show in the current season as well.

Apart from his Heat stint, Spoelstra also has his hands in the Team USA alongside HC Steve Kerr. They have the upcoming task of winning the Olympics after a disappointing exit in the 2023 FIBA WC.

What do you make of Coach Spo’s run with the Heat? Let us know in the comments below.

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