MIAMI — Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has nothing but praise for Erik Spoelstra, the man who will succeed him as head coach of the U.S. men’s national basketball team.
Speaking ahead of Wednesday night’s Warriors-Heat matchup, the first time the two faced off since Spoelstra was officially named USA Basketball’s next head coach, Kerr made it clear he believes the Miami Heat leader has been ready for the role for years.
“He was a great choice,” Kerr said. “He’s one of the greatest coaches of all time. He has a complete understanding of FIBA basketball, the difference between coaching a team for seven weeks versus nine months, all of it. He’s got his finger on the pulse of everything. He’s going to be incredible.”
Spoelstra is set to guide the U.S. men at the 2027 FIBA World Cup in Doha, Qatar, and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Kerr previously led Team USA at the 2023 World Cup (fourth place in Manila) and to Olympic gold at the 2024 Paris Games, with Spoelstra serving as a key assistant on both staffs.
Spoelstra has yet to reach out to Kerr for detailed advice on transitioning from NBA to international coaching, but he made clear how valuable those two summers were.
“I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be on Steve’s staff the last two summers,” Spoelstra said. “We all grew tremendously from a coaching-development standpoint. It’s the same four lines, two baskets, and a basketball, but FIBA is a different sport. We were humbled in 2023, and the lessons from that first year helped us tremendously in Paris.”
The U.S. men’s quest for the 2027 World Cup officially begins this weekend in South Florida, with a 12-player roster assembling at the University of Miami for practice before traveling to Nicaragua for the qualifying opener on Nov. 28.
Spoelstra witnessed firsthand the pressure Kerr managed in Paris, where the Americans rallied from a double-digit deficit against Serbia in the semifinals and leaned on Stephen Curry’s heroics to edge France in the gold-medal game. When “The Star-Spangled Banner” played after the victory, Kerr leaned over to Spoelstra and said, “Good luck,” already knowing who should be next in line.
“I was so impressed with how Steve handled everything,” Spoelstra said. “The expectations are enormous, but he managed it beautifully, getting the team to peak at the exact right moment and handle adversity like we did against Serbia. It was great leadership. That experience is something I’ll never forget.”
