The USA men’s basketball team has a new head coach, officially ending Steve Kerr’s tenure. With the announcement that Miami Heat’s Erik Spoelstra will lead the team, excitement ripples across the basketball world, particularly within the NBA organization he has guided since 2008. His Heat teammate, Bam Adebayo, knows exactly what Spoelstra is capable of.
Speaking after Thursday’s practice, returning to full participation following a knee injury, Adebayo was asked about the news. He told ClutchPoints that Spoelstra is “up for that challenge” and emphasized that the goal is to uphold the “standard” established within the Miami organization.
“I mean, it’s a responsibility, and he’s up for that challenge,” Adebayo said. “He wants to go on and win gold. That’s the standard for us, and we believe he can do it.”
Adebayo brings significant Team USA experience, having won two gold medals with the program. Most recently, he competed in Paris last year, where Spoelstra served as an assistant coach under Kerr.
What’s next for Spoelstra?
Although it’s now official, Spoelstra’s future with the Heat remains uncertain, but confidence in his leadership is unwavering. Before the announcement, when reports first surfaced that Spoelstra would take over Team USA, Adebayo praised the coach as a “mad scientist.”
“We don’t know what’s going to happen with Spo,” Adebayo said last week after practice. “We just know he’s a mad scientist in the game. When he gets into his playbook, his schemes, and watches the game, he’s a mad scientist. From that standpoint, progression-wise, I feel like he could have done that six years ago if he wanted to.”
In the short term, Spoelstra is focused on improving the Heat after they finished 10th in the Eastern Conference, with the regular season opener set for Oct. 22 against the Orlando Magic.