Miami Heat’s head-coach Erik Spoelstra to help coach Team USA for 2020 Tokyo Olympics
Miami Heat long-term head coach Erik Spoelstra is rumored to be in talks to potentially take up a coaching role with Team USA for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. Spoelstra, who has been with the Miami Heat since the 2008-09 NBA season, has led the franchise to two NBA titles and is the second-longest tenured coach in the NBA. He is behind USA head-coach Gregg Popovich, with whom he shares a long-term working relationship.
Just last month, after Gregg Popovich was revealed to be the head-coach of Team USA for the first time, Erik Spoelstra said the following about potentially being a part of the coaching staff.
“I really just want to be a part of the program. I’m always pushing myself to get better in the offseasons; I go visit people and all that stuff. This is going to be a basketball immersion. I mean, the dinners, the team meetings for where I am right now in my career, I think this is the perfect thing for a summer of development.”
The decision is obviously a result of the San Antonio Spurs’ failure to make it past the regular season this year, with Erik Spoelstra also now confirmed to be a part of the coaching staff.
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Miami heat’s head-coach Eric Spoelstra confirmed to be part of Team USA Coaching staff for Tokyo Olympics
The Tokyo Olympics basketball event is set to tip-off on 24th July, with the Qualifiers currently underway and Team USA set to begin practice on July 6th. The 12-man roster includes the likes of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Draymond Green and Bradley Beal. The team also has other notable stars such as Kevin Love, Bam Adebayo, Jayson Tatum, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday.
A range of stars will obviously be forced to join practice late considering that the NBA Finals are expected to go on until around July 20th. Regardless, multiple sources confirmed earlier today that Erik Spoelstra has accepted an invitation to join the coaching staff alongside head coach Gregg Popovich. The two most famously went head-to-head during the 2013 and the 2014 NBA Finals, and are long-term rivals with a lot of mutual respect.
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Both coaches have previously spoken about potentially being involved in the Tokyo Olympics with Team USA. However, it wasn’t until the San Antonio Spurs failed to make it to the Playoffs that Popovich was announced as the head-coach. Similarly, Erik Spoelstra has also been able to accept the invitation due to his team the Miami Heat getting knocked out early from the 2021 NBA Playoffs. Additionally, Mark Few of the Gonzaga University and assistant coach at the Dallas Mavericks Jamahl Mosley are said to be assisting the coaching unit of Poppovich and Erik Spoelstra.
12-man Team USA roster for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics
Yesterday ie. 28th July 2021, Team USA released a list of the entire 12-man roster that is set to take part in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Erik Spoelstra and Team USA are looking for the nation's fourth consecutive Olympic Gold medal, with practice scheduled to start on July 6th.
Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat), Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards), Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns), Durant, Jerami Grant (Detroit Pistons), Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors), Jrue Holiday (Milwaukee Bucks), Zach LaVine (Chicago Bulls), Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers), Kevin Love (Cleveland Cavaliers), Khris Middleton (Milwaukee Bucks) and Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics).