OFFICIAL: Erik Spoelstra, new coach of Team USA

Erik Spoelstra will be the new head coach of the United States men's basketball team, as reported by ESPN. The current coach of the Miami Heat will take over from Steve Kerr and lead the team in the 2027 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics.

Spoelstra was previously part of the coaching staff of Team USA as the lead assistant in the 2024 Paris Games, where the team won the gold medal.

With this decision, the United States will have four consecutive Olympic cycles with different coaches: Mike Krzyzewski led the team in 2016, followed by Gregg Popovich and then by Steve Kerr.

Spoelstra's selection was made by Grant Hill, the general manager of USA Basketball, who has established an internal structure for coaching transitions on the national team. Under this model, Kerr was an assistant to Popovich before taking over as head coach, and now it will be Spoelstra who continues the chain.

An incredible record for Spoelstra

Erik Spoelstra is one of the most respected coaches in the NBA. He has won two championships with the Miami Heat and has led the franchise to six Finals. Additionally, he is the coach with the most wins in the team's history and the fifth with the most playoff victories in the entire league. Currently, he is the coach with the most consecutive years active in the NBA.

The U.S. team enters this new cycle after winning the gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where they defeated France 98-87 in the final. It was the fifth consecutive gold medal and the seventeenth in the Olympic history of United States men's basketball.