Dwyane Wade admits he initially didn't think Erik Spoelstra would be a great NBA coach: "When he first got the job, I was like, 'What are we doing?'"
Even though Dwyane Wade and Erik Spoelstra won two championships together, Wade wasn't completely sold on Pat Riley's successor at first. He eventually learned that "The Godfather's" instincts were right.
"I was a star player when Spo got his first head-coaching job," Wade recalled. "I was there along with the bumps and the bruises of a first-time coach. About time 'Bron came to Miami, I think he was about two, three years on the job, you saw the big improvement as a coach."
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"But when he first got the job, I was like, 'What are we doing? Who is this?" added the three-time champion.
Why Spo flourished
Spoelstra had to learn the ropes before becoming one of the greatest. It was a steep learning curve, but he navigated through it because he had such strong foundational qualities, namely hard work and a thirst for perfection.
"He had his strengths right away and his strength was you're going to be prepared. His preparation is incredible. His work ethic is off the chart," Wade stated.
Even though it took years for Spoelstra to find his footing, he eventually got there. As Wade noted, he kept reinventing himself, especially after the 2011 Finals loss to the Dallas Mavericks. He began to study the methods of coaches from other sports and realized he could incorporate their methods into his system. More importantly, Spoelstra knew Riley had his back.
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"You cannot bring a young coach in and fire him within three years. You have to give him space and time to learn how to be a coach, especially in the professional league. And Spo has that with Pat. He wasn't going anywhere. Pat let everybody know that you get out of here before he leaves," continued the 13-time All-Star.
Related: Miami trainer says he had workouts with Jimmy Butler at 3:30 AM: "He likes to be uncomfortable because the game is supposed to be easy"
Coaching crash course
Riley could have taken dozens of routes when he decided to step down as the Heat's head coach. However, he chose Spo, a young Filipino-American working as the team's video coordinator.
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According to Greg Cote of the Miami Herald, the unofficial job interview happened during the 2005-06 season, after Erik brought the game video for the team's film session and stepped aside for Riley to break the clips down for the team. Instead, the legendary coach wanted Spoelstra to "handle the video" with no prior heads-up.
"You go over every clip," Riley said to Spo. "Call out the players. 'You didn't get back on defense.' 'You didn't take the charge.' There he was in front of the team for the first time."
Shaquille O'Neal was there, along with grizzled veterans Alonzo Mourning, Gary Payton and Antoine Walker. D-Wade was also present, and although he was only 24 at the time, he was already a two-time All-Star and an up-and-coming MVP candidate.
"He was brilliant. The players all sat up straight and showed him respect, and he did not fumble," Riles recalled.
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Two years later, Spoelstra took over the Heat coaching reins. Seventeen seasons later, he is one of the best in the Association, so much so that he signed an eight-year extension worth $120 million last year, the highest amount committed to any North American coach in any sport.
Wade may have questioned Spoelstra at the start, but time has a way of settling debates. Nearly two decades, multiple Finals runs and one massive extension later, there's no mistaking who was right all along.
Related: Dwyane Wade demanded more from Shaquille O'Neal after a poor 2007-08 start: "We need him to help lead this team in other ways"
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