USA Basketball on Tuesday selected Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra to guide the men’s national team through the 2027 FIBA World Cup in Qatar and the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
“Everyone in this business wants to be a part of Team USA,” Spoelstra said after the announcement. “Competing on the world stage is so stimulating, and I’m both humbled and grateful.”
Fast climb in the USA Basketball pipeline
Spoelstra, 54, joined the program in 2021 when he ran the Select Team during a COVID-restricted training camp ahead of the Tokyo Games. He moved onto Steve Kerr’s national-team staff for the 2023 World Cup and the 2024 Paris Olympics, impressing USA Basketball leadership with what executive director Grant Hill called “remarkable investment” in the role.
Hill said no broad search was necessary once Kerr stepped down. “Spo is not only an outstanding coach, but a great colleague, friend and father, all of which make him the perfect choice to continue the USA Basketball legacy through 2028,” Hill noted. CEO Jim Tooley and Chairman Gen. (Ret.) Martin Dempsey endorsed the decision.
Kerr, who guided the United States to gold in Paris, called his former assistant “a perfect choice” and said the hands-on experience gained the past two summers served as an ideal audition.
Tasks waiting in 2027 and 2028
Spoelstra must assemble a new roster after stars LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant powered the 2024 triumph. While the United States receives an automatic Olympic berth as the 2028 host, persuading elite players to commit to the 2027 World Cup in Doha—where summer temperatures soar—could be difficult.
Other federations, including reigning world champion Germany, require multiyear commitments from athletes. Hill and Spoelstra are not planning a similar mandate, but the coach said a standard will exist. “Players are going to understand the importance of putting your hand up and saying you want the opportunity to be part of the USA program,” he explained.
High expectations, slim margin
The United States has captured the past five Olympic gold medals under Mike Krzyzewski, Gregg Popovich and Kerr, but recent tournaments have included double-digit comeback wins in elimination games. Krzyzewski has often described the position this way: “There’s only one outcome you’re allowed to have—did you win?” Spoelstra, a two-time NBA champion who has coached the Heat to six Finals appearances, said that reality “makes you feel alive.”
The new head coach acknowledged the delicate balance of managing star personalities, recalling how Tatum’s brief removal from Kerr’s rotation in 2024 drew loud boos in Boston months later. “When you’re an assistant, it’s easier for the players to see you as more of a friend,” Spoelstra said. “But that is what you understand when you are part of Team USA—you’re the ‘Man in the Arena.’”
Spoelstra’s tenure officially begins with player evaluations in 2026 and will culminate on home soil at the Los Angeles Games, where the Americans will attempt to extend their Olympic gold streak to six.
Source: ESPN.com
