After Pat Riley’s disastrous 15-67 final season as Miami Heat head coach, fans were worried for their team’s future as contenders. However, the appointment and subsequent success of Erik Spoelstra as head coach in the following season allayed those concerns. For the next 15 years in fact. And it seems Miami wants to ensure his long-term future at the franchise.

Reaching 4 consecutive finals following the acquisition of the big three, his Miami team won back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013. Regarded as one of the best coaches in the league, Spoelstra is the most decorated coach Miami has ever had. Recognizing this, the Miami Heat have chosen to give him a contract worthy of his accolades.

What is Erik Spoelstra’s contract with the Miami Heat?

The second longest-tenured head coach in the NBA, with no signs of slowing down, Erik Spoelstra signed a new 8-year deal with the Miami Heat. Spoelstra will receive a whopping $120 million by the time his new deal runs out. Yes, your eyes are not playing tricks on you! He will take home a cool $15 million annually.

LeBron James was quick to congratulate his former coach on this massive windfall. “Worth Every Single Cent of that contract!!! Congrats Spo!!🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🫡 ,” wrote James in a post on X. And congratulations most definitely are in order. This deal has broken the record of the largest deal offered to a coach in North American sports history.

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However, despite holding this impressive accolade, Spoelstra is not the highest-paid coach in the NBA when it comes to annual earnings. So let’s see how the Miami head coach stacks up against some of his peers.

Is Erik Spoelstra the highest-paid head coach in the NBA? Where does he rank among other head coaches?

It’s true! Despite his record-shattering $120 million deal with the Miami Heat, Erik Spoelstra is not the highest-paid coach in the league. He is not even the second-highest-paid coach in the NBA. For those honors belong to the Golden State Warriors’ Steve Kerr and the San Antonio Spurs’ Gregg Popovich respectively.

Gregg Popovich, the only coach currently in the NBA who has been around longer than Spoelstra, was previously also the highest-paid head coach. He was raking in $16 million a year as the Spurs HC. And after winning four championships with the Spurs in his tenure, you probably get why they would like to keep him around. Although he has the most wins of any coach in NBA history, his title of highest-paid head coach was usurped by Steve Kerr and his recent deal.

After signing a 2-year contract extension in 2024, the Golden State Warriors head coach officially took the throne of the highest-paid in the NBA. He earns $17.5 million annually from his $35 million contract extension. Leading the franchise to its most successful run ever will help you do that. As head coach, he won 4 league titles with the Dubs, including a repeat in 2017 and 2018. Fans of his team will agree that he is worth every penny!

It is not surprising that 3 coaches named in the Top 15 NBA coaches of all time are the three biggest earners in the league. Even so, the fact that not even Spoelstra’s $120 million contract is enough to make you the highest-paid only goes to show how highly some of these teams value the man at the helm. But who knows? Maybe someone will sign a deal someday that dwarfs the ones mentioned. Only time will tell.