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Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra became the 32nd coach in NBA history to win 500 games on Sunday when the Heat defeated the Orlando Magic. He also became only the seventh coach with 500 or more wins to have a 60 percent winning rate.
Erik Spoelstra now has a career coaching record of 500-336 in the regular season. He has a postseason record of 71-47 and two championships on his résumé.
Spo is the 32nd coach in NBA history to win 500 games.
He's the seventh coach to win 500 or more games while winning 60 percent of the time. Others: Phil, Pop, KC Jones, Red, Jerry Sloan and some dude named Patrick James Riley.
Spo's going to the Hall of Fame, folks.
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) December 24, 2018
Spoelstra has been with the Heat since 1997. He was an assistant coach/scout for 11 years before he replaced Pat Riley as head coach in 2008. Miami has only missed the playoffs twice since Spoelstra became the head coach.
When the Heat's Big Three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh were playing together from 2010-14, Spoelstra was often overlooked because the team had three future Hall of Famers on it. However, people in South Beach will tell you that Spoelstra's ability to manage all the egos on that team and get the best out of everyone is a big reason why Miami was able to reach four-straight NBA Finals and win two.
Spoelstra's best coaching job may have been during the 2016-17 season. Miami finished 41-41 and missed the playoffs, but they won 13 games in a row at one point after getting off to a disastrous start and almost made the postseason.
