Inside The Heat

Miami Heat's Erik Spoelstra Dodged The LeBron James Coaching Curse

Spoelstra is one of the few coaches to not be fired while coaching LeBron James.

Jayden Armant

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Former Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel was fired Monday after a disappointing season. 

Vogel is now the fifth coach to be fired on a LeBron James-led team. Coaching James is certainly a difficult task. The advantage of having one of the greatest NBA players of all time can be outweighed by the pressure of producing with him.

James’ high status as a player grants him leverage when it comes to managerial decisions, such as player acquisitions and coaching status. Because James is held in such high regard as an athlete, the blame is naturally shifted toward the coaches if there is a lack of success.

David Blatt was fired despite successful seasons as the Cleveland Cavaliers’ head coach. Blatt led the Cavaliers to a Finals appearance in 2015 and held a conference-best record of 30-11 the next season before being released. Vogel led the Lakers to a 2020 NBA championship before being fired two years later. Mike Brown also led Cleveland to franchise success during James’ first years in the league but was fired in 2010.

One of the coaches who sustained with James under his wing is the Miami Heat's Erik Spoelstra, who coached James from 2010 to 2014. During this time, the Heat appeared in four NBA Finals, winning back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013. 

His prolonged success has justified his continued tenure as the Heat’s head coach. 

Jayden Armant is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He is a student at Howard University. He can be reached at jayden.armant@bison.howard.edu or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.

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Jayden Armant
JAYDEN ARMANT

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