Latest news with #ErikSpoelstra
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
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NBA Champion Names ‘Perfect' Spot for Kevin Durant
NBA Champion Names 'Perfect' Spot for Kevin Durant originally appeared on Athlon Sports. In a recent discussion on ESPN's "Get Up," 2020 NBA champion Markieff Morris endorsed Miami as the ideal destination for Kevin Durant. Advertisement Morris, who played for the Miami Heat, praised the team's culture and coaching under Erik Spoelstra. "For the little bit of time I played in Miami, that was the best brand of basketball I've been apart of. Spo does a great job of getting the best out of guys and I think that's a perfect spot for him. The East is wide open and he can flourish there" Morris said. He highlighted Spoelstra's ability to maximize player potential, suggesting Durant would thrive in the Heat's system. The Heat's winning culture, combined with players like Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, could create a formidable team. Durant, 36, is no stranger to winning basketball, and is coming off a season in which he averaged 26.6 points per game on a stellar 52.7% shooting from the field. Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin DurantRick Scuteri-Imagn Images Spoelstra's system would give Durant a gritty defense to lean back on, something he has lacked greatly in his tenure with the Suns. Advertisement Moreover, with an Eastern Conference that's looked as open as ever after the Pacers marched through it in the 2025 NBA Playoffs, the Heat could give Durant a chance to get back to the NBA Finals and claim his coveted third title. This endorsement comes as Durant remains a hot topic in trade rumors, with the Suns reportedly close to a deal. Morris's insight, backed by his championship experience, adds a compelling perspective to Durant's potential move, emphasizing Miami's appeal as a basketball haven. Related: Shams Reveals How Close Heat Are to Pulling Off Kevin Durant Trade This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 20, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Insider Suggests 2-Time Champ, Longest-Tenured NBA Coach as Knicks' Next Leader
Insider Suggests 2-Time Champ, Longest-Tenured NBA Coach as Knicks' Next Leader originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The New York Knicks appear to have fired head coach Tom Thibodeau absent an adequate plan to replace him, and the embarrassments have racked up in the aftermath. Advertisement In just a matter of days, five competing teams around the league have denied requests from the Knicks to interview their current head coaches: Dallas Mavericks-Jason Kidd, Houston Rockets-Ime Udoka, Minnesota Timberwolves-Chris Finch, Chicago Bulls-Billy Donovan and Atlanta Hawks-Quin Snyder, per The Athletic. Considering all the swings and misses thus far, Zach Lowe of The Ringer suggested on the Thursday, June 12 edition of "The Bill Simmons Podcast" that the Knicks reach out to the Miami Heat and inquire about interviewing head coach Erik Spoelstra -- widely considered among the best in the league for the last several years. Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra.© Sam Navarro-Imagn Images "If you were Leon Rose, or whoever is making the calls ... would you even have the guts, the gall, the audacity to call Pat Riley?" Lowe asked Simmons. "Just to do it. Like, 'Hey, we gotta check the [Spoelstra] box. We gotta see. Don't we have to see?'" Advertisement Spoelstra is now the longest-tenured head coach in the NBA after Gregg Popovich left his job leading the San Antonio Spurs' sideline earlier this year following a serious health concern. The Heat hired Spoelstra in April 2008. He has led Miami to six appearances in the NBA Finals and two championship rings over his 17 years at the helm, amassing a career regular-season record of 787-572. While Miami struggled to earn a spot in the first round of playoffs this season, fighting its way to the No. 8 overall seed via the NBA's Eastern Conference play-in tournament only to get swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers in four games, the Knicks earned a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals. New York fell two games shy of an NBA Finals appearance, losing to the Indiana Pacers 4-2. The Pacers currently lead the Oklahoma City Thunder 2-1 with Game 4 of scheduled for Friday, June 13, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Related: Knicks Guard Doesn't Hold Back on 'Lame' Critics of Tom Thibodeau This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 13, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
"I pushed my wife away, I pushed my kids away, I was a jerk" - Battier admits depression almost ruined his life after he retired from the NBA
"I pushed my wife away, I pushed my kids away, I was a jerk" - Battier admits depression almost ruined his life after he retired from the NBA originally appeared on Basketball Network. Basketball was everything to Shane Battier, and so when his career ended, Battier was lost. Although Shane had everything he needed to live comfortably for the rest of his life — money, fame, friends and family — not being part of a team and competing for a greater goal almost drove him crazy and ruined everything he had worked so hard for. Advertisement It all began during his final year in the NBA when Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra started sitting him on the bench during the fourth quarter of games. In the 2014 Playoffs, Battier averaged just 2.3 points per game in 12.6 minutes of playing time. It was worse in the 2014 NBA Finals, where the former Blue Devil played just 33 minutes and scored only five points. "Nothing was worse to me than sitting me in crunch time," admitted Battier during an appearance on the "Pablo Torre Finds Out" podcast. "That was my identity. It hurt me to my core. That's when I knew I was done. I was embarrassed, and I checked out. And so when I retired, I was very cynical. And I was so sad, but I was also very cynical." Shane struggled after retirement And so, after being "told without being told" that the Heat's best chances to win would be with him on the bench rather than on the court, Battier retired following Miami's loss to the San Antonio Spurs in the 2014 NBA Finals. Immediately, he an offer from ESPN to be one of the network's men's college basketball analysts. Advertisement Looking back, Shane says that was a big mistake. Although the job was still about basketball, it wasn't the one the 6'8"forward was used to and not the one he truly wanted. Without the passion for what he was doing, Battier struggled on TV and was criticized. Instead of finding the relevance and purpose that he was looking for in retirement, it only made his internal struggles worse to the point that they were starting to affect his personal relationships. "I shut people out," Shane continued. "I was probably battling depression. I didn't know what depression was. I never had this feeling before. But feeling very isolated. I didn't feel anyone understood what I was going through. I felt very alone, and I pushed people away. I pushed my wife away; I pushed my kids away. And I was just a jerk. And I wasn't like doing destructive things, It wasn't like I was drinking every night. But I was emotionally unavailable. And I was hurt, and I was pissed off. I had all these emotions I had never associated with basketball." Related: "God, if you let me get through this, I won't play no more" - Larry Bird describes the moment that made him retire for good Being part of a basketball team again Shane quit ESPN towards the end of 2015, and over a year later, the Heat hired him as Director of Basketball Development and Analytics. Suddenly, with an opportunity to be part of a team — his former NBA team at that — and compete for a championship, even though in a different capacity, Battier started to find his way back before his depression destroyed his life. Advertisement However, in a surprise move, the Birmingham native resigned last year and opted to take a non-basketball position as strategic assistant to Heat CEO and close friend Nick Arison. Shane and his family also left Florida to start a new life in Charlotte. However, it wasn't because of anything negative; it was because Battier was ready to explore new things. "There is so much in life to experience and try my hand at," he said. "So many interesting people around the world. I'm so fascinated about learning. I turned 46, and I feel I have so much to learn and have so much to do in the world still. I needed to go out and explore, and meet and learn. I wanted to learn new industries. It sounds very strange because I love basketball. For me to be truly happy, that's what I need to do." Aside from him and his wife Heidi running his "Battier Take Charge" foundation, Shane has been busy being a professional speaker, podcast host, and most importantly, a sports dad to 16-year-old Zeke, whom he enrolled at Charlotte's Providence Day School and is now a 6'7" promising talent. Shane's 13-year-old daughter, Eloise, is also a youth soccer player in Charlotte, so it's safe to say Battier has his life back and is living it to the fullest. Related: "I would not be able to sleep" - Shane Battier calls out players in the NBA today for missing playoff games This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
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." Advertisement "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. Advertisement "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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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"
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
What Spoelstra told Kerr about Butler immediately after Warriors trade
What Spoelstra told Kerr about Butler immediately after Warriors trade originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area Despite some concern about how Jimmy Butler would fit into the Warriors' culture, coach Steve Kerr's mind was at ease. Advertisement That's because his good friend and longtime Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra reassured him before Golden State acquired the six-time NBA All-Star at the February trade deadline. 'Erik Spoelstra told me immediately, 'He's going to be great for you.' And I know Spo really well from the last couple of summers and I trust him,' Kerr told Tim Kawakami on 'The TK Show.' 'I believed him and he was right. Within a couple of days of his arrival, Jimmy was so easy to speak with. 'He reminded me of Andre [Iguodala] with the basketball intellect, but also the interest in the world perspective and the maturity. It was really fun to get to know Jimmy right away and to see the impact he had on our team and our locker room.' There was plenty of chatter about Butler's locker room fit in Golden State since the veteran forward's relationship with his previous team, the Heat, and particularly team president Pat Riley, soured. Advertisement Things got so bad that Butler was suspended multiple times by Miami after missing a team flight, walking out of a shootaround, and other actions deemed as 'detrimental' to the team. And given that it wasn't the first time Butler left a team on bad terms, there were reasonable worries for the Warriors. But those concerns immediately were put to rest upon Butler's arrival, as his impact quite literally did the opposite as he provided a rejuvenated energy to Golden State both on and off the floor. His relationship with Buddy Hield in particular warmed the hearts of Dub Nation. 'He was an absolute dream,' Kerr said. 'I know everything that happened in Miami would not have suggested that, but I can only base Jimmy's impact and his personality and all that stuff on my experience. And he was the model citizen. Just an amazing guy to coach these last few months.' Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast
