Erik Spoelstra Shares Uplifting Message After House Fire: ‘Spoelstras Are Resilient’

The Heat coach addressed the media for the first time since a ‘massive’ fire heavily damaged his Miami home.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra addressed reporters ahead of Miami’s game against the Hornets Friday
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra addressed reporters ahead of Miami’s game against the Hornets Friday / Screengrab via @ByTimReynolds of the Associated Press on X/Twitter
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Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is back with his team after his home in Miami was heavily damaged by a “massive” fire on Thursday morning.

Per the Associated Press, the fire was called in around 4:36 a.m. Thursday as Spoelstra was on an airplane on his way home from the Heat’s game in Denver against the Nuggets on Wednesday. Nobody was in the home when the fire broke out and no injuries were reported.

He remained with the team and addressed reporters with his children by his side before Miami’s game against the Hornets on Friday.

“Thank everybody for this overwhelming support, the South Florida community has just been absolutely remarkable,” Spoelstra said via the AP’s Tim Reynolds. “People reaching out, wanting to help. It’s obviously been something that’s uniquely challenging for our family but Spoelstras are resilient.”

He had a smile on his face as he thanked the community for the support through a challenging time.

“As you can see, I have my kids up here right now, so things in the house, those things can be replaced,” he continued. “And if they can’t be replaced, what does it really matter? This is really what matters, family and closest ones. Our dog also was safe and not in the house, thank god. We’re just grateful. We’re grateful that everybody is safe and in a great place.”

More than 20 units responded to fight the fire both in the ground and in the air. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue battalion chief Victoria Byrd said the fire was contained to the property owned by Spoelstra and no nearby homes were damaged.

The two-time NBA champion coach has led the Heat since 2008 and worked as an assistant after he joined the organization as a video coordinator in 1995. He was recently named the next head coach for Team USA heading into the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.


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Blake Silverman
BLAKE SILVERMAN

Blake Silverman is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the WNBA, NBA, G League and college basketball for numerous sites, including Winsidr, SB Nation's Detroit Bad Boys and A10Talk. He graduated from Michigan State University before receiving a master's in sports journalism from St. Bonaventure University. Outside of work, he's probably binging the latest Netflix documentary, at a yoga studio or enjoying everything Detroit sports. A lifelong Michigander, he lives in suburban Detroit with his wife, young son and their personal petting zoo of two cats and a dog.