Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra says he would like to one day run an NBA team

Is a Gregg Popovich-like role with the Miami Heat available for Erik Spoelstra down the line?

Completing his ninth season with the Miami Heat, Erik Spoelstra is the second-longest tenured head coach in the NBA. Many of his peers–Gregg Popovich (the longest-tenured coach) and Stan Van Gundy (former head coach of the Heat), for example–are both head coach and front office. In Miami, of course, Pat Riley is the president of the team.

But on a recent appearance on Adrian Wojnarowski’s podcast, Spoelstra said that he’d like to assume a greater role some time down the line.

"The short answer would be I’m a Pat Riley disciple and he’s, like I said, he’s always pushed me and nurtured me for the next step so, yes.And I would love to have the opportunity years down the line for the Arison family because I believe in them so much as human beings. They’re such good people and family oriented, and that’s probably the last pillar of the culture that I didn’t mention is that it really is a family. It’s the good and the bad and everything in between. We’ve seen all of the each other at our best and our worst, like I said, but we’ve been able to survive all that. That is what a true family feels like. You feel all those emotions, but you also really feel the trust in somebody’s character.But, yeah, Pat, he’s gonna go on, hopefully for a while. Like I think he’s younger now than when he was coaching, and he’s such a visionary. The way things are set up right now, look, I want this to be the setup that it is right now. I feel involved. I’m in every meeting that’s important that deals with organization and personnel. It’s usually just four of us that get in a room—Pat, Nick [Arison], Andy [Elisburg] and myself—and if it really gets to a level than Micky [Arison] will.I couldn’t ask for anything more. I don’t feel like I need more right now. The value I want to bring right now is the culture of coaching and developing men and a team. I want to bring value to the organization from this chair, and I have enough on my hands right now that that’s all I’m thinking about.And I think it’s important also to enjoy just this present moment of that, and not think about what’s ahead. That statement my sister always says: Focus on your own mat. I don’t have to be speed up because other people are doing it. I can feel fine with this right now and be okay with it because I do love it. I love this whole dynamic right now and I really do truly hope that this goes on like this, this dynamic, for a long, long time."

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With the Big Three gone, and especially with Dwyane Wade no longer in Miami, Spoelstra has become the on-court leader of the Heat. He’s garnered a lot more attention this past season after being credited for the team’s turnaround from 11-30 to 41-41.

If Spoelstra were a free agent, he’d likely be able to command the same kind of role Popovich, Van Gundy, Doc Rivers and Tom Thibodeau have with their respective teams. However, as he said, Spoelstra appreciates the structure within the Heat’s organization.

Pat Riley doesn’t seem to have a date for a retirement party in mind, and Spoelstra doesn’t expect to take on a larger role any time soon. Like he says on the podcast, though, he’s thoroughly involved in personnel decisions already.

Next: Riley talks about the breakup of the Big Three

The big takeaway is this: Spoelstra loves basketball, and everything to do with it. He also relishes being part of the Heat organization, and hopes to be in Miami for a very long time.