LeBron James Salutes Erik Spoelstra After Heat Coach’s Record Extension

The Lakers superstar shouted out his former coach on the heels of his historic new deal with Miami.

LeBron James hasn’t played for the Heat since 2014, but few NBA players were as proud as the Los Angeles Lakers superstar on Tuesday amid a historic night for Miami coach Erik Spoelstra.

As a man who’s used to breaking records, James, who’s in his 21st NBA season and sixth in L.A., fittingly shouted out Spoelstra, his coach for four seasons, moments after the news of Spoelstra’s record-breaking, eight-year extension with Miami. 

Wrote James on X (formerly Twitter), “Worth Every Single Cent of that contract!!! Congrats Spo!!”

James’s salute to Spoelstra calls back to the pair’s storied history during the future Hall of Fame forward’s vaunted tenure with the Heat from 2010 to ’14.

Worth Every Single Cent of that contract!!! Congrats Spo!! 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🫡 https://t.co/ETFBnAZGqA

— LeBron James (@KingJames) January 10, 2024

Kicked off by the infamous “Decision,” James joined forces with Spoelstra, and Hall of Famers Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to create one of the NBA’s greatest teams. Their four-year run included a 224–88 regular season record, 59–28 playoff record and four-straight runs to the NBA Finals, with championship victories coming in 2012 and ’13 over the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs, respectively.