Heat, coach Erik Spoelstra agree to 8-year contract extension

Jan. 10 (UPI) -- The Miami Heat and head coach Erik Spoelstra agreed to an eight-year contract extension worth more than $100 million.

Sources told ESPN, The Athletic and the Miami Herald about the agreement Tuesday night.

Spoelstra, 53, owns a 725-506 regular-season record in 16 years as head coach of the Heat. He won two NBA Finals and six Eastern Conference championships during that tenure, including last postseason's run to the NBA Finals.

Spoelstra led the Heat to the playoffs in 12 of his previous 15 seasons. They posted losing record just twice during that span. His 109 career playoff victories rank No. 5 all-time.

"Worth every single cent of that contract," LeBron James, who played for Spoelstra for four seasons, posted Tuesday night on X. "Congrats Spo!"

The Heat are 21-15 this season and sit in first place in the Eastern Conference's Southeast Division.

Spoelstra finished inside the Top 5 for NBA Coach of the Year Award four times, but has yet to claim that honor. He received Coach of the Month honors nine times.

The NBA named Spoelstra as one of the Top 15 coaches in league history in 2022.

The Heat will host the Oklahoma City Thunder (24-11) at 7:30 p.m. EST Wednesday at the Kaseya Center in Miami.